Universal hush unlikely on Bali's day of silence

Universal hush unlikely on Bali's day of silence

By Putu Wirata

DENPASAR, Bali (JP): This Sunday, Bali will be the most
isolated island in the world. It will be quiet all day and dark
during the night.

On that day, Hindus across the country will celebrate Nyepi,
the Hindu Day of Silence. It marks the beginning of the year 1920
in the Balinese Saka calendar.

For 24 hours, Hindus will fast and observe the catur bratha
panyepian (four elements of Nyepi): no travel, no entertainment,
no fire and no work. People will just stay at home all day long
in contemplation of their past and future lives.

If past years are anything to go by, Bali will have the
appearance of a dead island. Towns like Denpasar, Sanur, Kuta and
Nusa Dua, usually teeming with traffic, will witness a dramatic
change. The hustle and bustle of the urban life will turn to
silence. At night, the glittering lights will not come on; the
moon and the stars will provide the only illumination.

In recent years, however, the situation has changed a little
as the tourism sector sees the holiday as a business opportunity.
For tourists, the chance to observe Nyepi is a dramatic and
unique experience.

Travel agencies and hotels have been selling Nyepi holiday
packages hard. The government backs the scheme by allowing the
international section of Ngurah Rai Airport to remain open.
Hundreds of tourists are expected to check in at hotels across
Bali on the day.

The local authorities in Badung and Denpasar issue
"dispensation certificates" so travel agents and hotels can pick
up their guests at the airport.

Last year the Denpasar municipality issued 215 dispensation
certificates for hospitals, journalists, travel agents and
hotels. This year, it has received 174 applications, according to
Wayan Sudiartha, spokesman of the Denpasar administration.

More than another 100 certificates were issued by the Badung
regency last year. The authorities say they issue the
certificates selectively.

However, there has been rampant abuse of the system by travel
agents. The papers only give agents the privilege to travel from
the airport to the hotel. But after picking up their guests, they
have often shown the tourists around Kuta, Denpasar, Sanur or
Nusa Dua.

Nyoman Raja (not his real name), who works as a guide, told
The Jakarta Post that on several occasions he had taken Japanese
tourists to sightseeing spots in Kuta, Denpasar and Sanur, on the
way to the hotel.

"I myself did not want to do this, but my boss told me to do
that," he said. He added he wanted to take a day off on the
holiday but was not allowed.

Nyepi packages are advertised in local newspapers to attract
both domestic and foreign tourists.

Two ads for Nyepi packages appeared in Nusa Tenggara daily
last Thursday. A hotel in Denpasar offers a double bed for two
nights for only Rp 182,000 (US$20) and the service includes
transfer from the airport to the hotel, a welcome drink, free
breakfast, lunch and dinner, free laundry, and no tax payment. A
hotel in Nusa Dua is offering a single bed for Rp 195,000 and a
double bed at Rp 266,000 for two nights. In addition, the guest
will get free breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea, coffee, and even a
souvenir.

Some hotels and travel agencies have advertised the Nyepi
packages for a few months, not only in local papers but also
abroad.

A public relations officer at a hotel in Nusa Dua said that
the Nyepi packages were usually fully booked. Most of the guests
were Indonesians, some were Hindus.

For rich Indonesians, staying in hotels during the Nyepi
holiday seems to have become a trend. They might want to escape
from the situation around their house, which could be depressing
for them as they cannot not walk or turn on the lights or
television.

Unlike in most of Bali, life still goes on inside the hotels
during Nyepi. Although it is dark outside, in the rooms, the
guests are still allowed to turn on their bedside light.

Criticism

For years, the Hindus in Bali never complained about the
privilege granted to hotel guests. But, this year some people
have apparently become more sensitive and started to criticize
the Nyepi packages. They are frowning on the commercialization of
the holiday, especially because the government allegedly charges
the hotels and travel agencies hundreds or even millions of
rupiah for the dispensation certificates.

The head of the central board of Parisada Hindu Dharma
Indonesia, the Hindu Council, Ida Bagus Agastia, expressed his
concern about the high number of the Nyepi dispensation
certificates issued by the government. He worried this would
tarnish the sacred holiday.

"If one hundred cars are going to and fro around the city, we
won't have the right Nyepi," Agastia said.

He urged the government to limit the issuance of dispensation
certificates. He also called upon hoteliers to tell the guests
not to check in or check out during the holiday.

Ideally, no dispensation certificates should be issued
"because Nyepi is not a business. Nyepi needs quietness, it is a
religious day," Agastia said.