Silent Eid Amidst Nyepi Observance: Stories of Migrants in Bali Who Cannot Return Home

Eid night typically arrives with sound.

The bedug drums are beaten repeatedly. Takbir chanting echoes from mosques into the streets. Children run about carrying torches, traversing villages with joy.

Yet this year, Bali may not know such sounds.

The takbiran night of 2026 is predicted to coincide with Nyepi—the day when the entire island comes to a halt. Lights are extinguished, streets empty, and everyone is asked to remain indoors.

Takbir chanting will still occur, but without resonance. Muslims are asked to perform takbir at home.

For Muslim migrants on the Island of Gods, this year’s Eid is not merely about not returning home. There is an additional layer they must confront: celebrating the day of victory in an atmosphere of silence.

Mega Satriani had grown accustomed to returning to Madiun every Eid. It was a sort of annual ritual—returning home, meeting family, and celebrating together.

This year, she is not doing so.

She only returned home last month. The long journey from Madiun to Bali, coupled with having to bring a toddler, prompted her to stay. She has postponed returning until Eid al-Adha.

Four years living in Bali have given Mega a different Ramadan experience.

In her hometown, the fasting atmosphere felt uniform. Daytime seemed quieter, with many shops closed. In Bali, life continues as usual.

People still eat and drink during daylight hours.

“Ramadan in Bali is fun, really. For me personally, I can learn more about tolerance because here I am a minority. When my friends are eating and drinking, we get used to that. So in a situation like this, it actually increases patience and tolerance, not that we fast to constantly restrict ourselves,” said the 27-year-old woman on Wednesday (11 March 2026).

Amidst such differences, she still found warmth.

Rows of fritter vendors, communal breaking-of-fast gatherings at the mosque, and experiencing the Megibung tradition—eating together from a single large communal dish—gave her a sense of togetherness that felt different.

“What I felt was that sense of togetherness. Because the principle of Megibung in Balinese custom is eating together in a crowd, so we feel togetherness and brotherhood growing stronger,” she said.

In another corner of Bali, Fermandia Juli Sandian was experiencing Ramadan with a different rhythm.

He works in the Food and Beverage sector in Kuta. His demanding work schedule meant he did not get Eid leave. His colleagues had already taken their turns earlier.

This was the second time he had not returned to Sidoarjo for Eid.

“My family at home is fine with it because even if I were to return, one day would be lost to travel. And this holiday is only three days,” he said.

For Ferman, the most noticeable difference came during breaking-of-fast time.

In his hometown, he would always return home and eat with family. In Bali, he breaks his fast after returning from work, alone, without lengthy conversation at the dinner table.

“In Java, you come home from work, meet family, eat together, right? Here, well, I come home from work, break my fast, and that’s it,” he explained.

Yet that solitude does not always last long.

At the mosque, he found other faces with similar stories.

“Perhaps because here Muslims are a minority. So sometimes the mosque is very crowded during breaking-of-fast. Perhaps because we’re all migrants,” he said.

This year, their experience changes once again.

The takbiran night that is usually full of sound will likely proceed without festivity.

Mega does not view this as a loss.

For her, this becomes a space for mutual understanding.

“I think this actually becomes a momentum to strengthen tolerance and mutual understanding amongst communities. We respect the moment of Nyepi. After all, when we worship, Hindus also respect it. So we don’t have to force it. If we can still worship at home, then we do so at home; it does not diminish the value of worship itself,” she said.

Ferman felt something slightly different.

There is an empty space that is difficult to explain when takbir no longer sounds as usual. Yet he chose to accept it as part of living in Bali.

“There are obligatory and optional matters. Well, takbir is not an obligatory matter, right? So we can do takbir at home individually, right? Because Nyepi happens only once a year. Perhaps they also hear our call to prayer every day, and so on. They are tolerant, right? They allow us the call to prayer,” he explained.

Such a situation, he said, was not the first time.

He had once performed Tarawih prayers in his boarding house room when outdoor activities were restricted because they coincided with Nyepi.

Now, as Eid approaches, he is preparing again to adapt.

For migrants like Mega and Ferman, this year’s Eid may not be loud.

There will be no takbir echoing through the streets, no processions, no crowds.

What exists instead is a quieter space, and within it, another way to still celebrate.