DENPSAR (indo.com): A Balinese Hindus New Year, the Nyepi Holiday (1924) Icaka New Year will fall on April 13, 2002. It is the day of absolute silence throughout the island when no activity is done, no traffic is seen anywhere, no fire is lit and no amusement held along the day. The Nyepi day is actually the day of self - introspection for Hindu followers when the entire island turns to be just like being deserted.

When the day comes, Bali will be the only place where people are ignoring any activities all day. All of the flights at the International Ngurah Rai Airport, harbor and other kinds of transportation are cancelled. Except for the emergency and technical cases are allowed.

The daily grind in all over the Island is stopped for all day long. No body are allowed to go out of their house, except man in black of 'Pecalang', the traditional security units that have the duty of controlling the orderliness of the silent celebration.

All the business enterprises, academic matters, government offices and other public services are closed, except for some hotels that are only allowed to hold such inbound activities, within the minimized lights and noises, and the guests are asked to stay inside the hotel. The activities are also allowed in emergency rooms and maternity section of hospitals. Any emergencies are taken into consideration and tolerated.

The Nyepi Day was derived from the word 'sepi' means silent. As a religious event of Balinese Hindus, Nyepi is a symbolical replay of these philosophical principles. The world is 'clean' in the beginning of the year. The Balinese Hindus do not celebrate the New Year with lavish party instead they celebrate the coming of the new year with meditation.

All the Hindu followers are obliged to do The Catur Brata Penyepian (four ways of implementing the Nyepi Day). They are no fire (amati geni) and no work/ activities (amati karya), no amusement (amati lelanguan), and no traveling (amati lelungan). These prohibitions aim at controlling oneself and submission to God. Everybody has to stay in the individual houses. No lights in the house, no sounds of radio and no works, just keep silence. It is totally silence. However, the anti-climax of the meditation is on the following day, which is called Ngembak Geni, where the people are happy and bless their success of controlling themselves. It is also the day of get-togetherness and family gathering.

Calendar system for Balinese Hindus
The Balinese Hindus use the Saka calendar system and the 210-day Pawukon system. The Saka calendar is a lunar system and each of the 12 lunar months ends on a new month. The calendar begins the day after the new moon that ends the ninth lunar month. This always coincides with the Gregorian March. The Saka year which came from India numbering system is 78 years behind the Gregorian year.