My final two days in Bali were planned around the Balinese New Year or the Day of Silence. On their New Years Eve, there is a large festival with a parade to celebrate the Hindu Gods. Each village creates a hand carried float of a certain god. Each float is very unique and most of them tell a story with vibrant colors and figures. At dusk, each village marches toward the capital of Denpasar and a huge parade line is started. After the parade, everyone parties until 6 a.m.  On the actual Day of Silence, people are not allowed to have lights or fires, all types of work are banned, and there is no travel. The day is to be a day of meditation; reflecting on the past year, forgiving others, and planning for the future. I was told the reason everyone stays inside is because the Hindu equivalent to the devil goes out during this day and walks the streets looking for people. If he doesn’t find anyone, he goes away and doesn’t return until next year. From this explanation, I can definitely see why people stay inside. As outsiders, we were forced to stay in the hotel. This made for a very quiet ending to an amazing trip.

Location: Bali, Indonesia