Nyepi: The Sounds Of Silence

As I stood on a junction in Kerobokan street, a monster passing me by. The crowd cheers, there were more monsters to come, and I've just joined the crowd to cheer at them.

No, I wasn't in horror movie. I was in Bali on the eve of the annual Nyepi day ritual, the Day Of Silence according to Hindu-Balinese's custom, to watch the Ogoh-ogoh, the Monsters Parade, which was a complementary ritual of the former. The monsters made of mixed materials of papers, Styrofoams and fiberglass by each village in one precinct and paraded over the precinct's junctions and main roads. Some monsters were 35 feet tall, while others were small enough to be carried by the local children.

The parade symbolizes the cast-off  of evil spirit before entering the holy state of Nyepi, during which Hindu-Balinese spend 24 hours indoor, practicing silence, restraining themselves from daily activities by fasting and meditating.