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View all search resultsBali residents embrace Nyepi, ‘takbiran’ overlap in spirit of tolerance
In Bali, Hindus to observe Nyepi’s Day of Silence while Muslims quietly perform takbiran, highlighting the island’s long-standing culture of interfaith tolerance.
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Balinese Hindus take part in a purification ritual known as Melasti on March 8, 2024, before Nyepi, the day of silence that marks the new year in the Balinese Hindu calendar, at Masceti beach in Gianyar, Bali. (AFP/Yasuyoshi Chiba)
T
he Hindu-majority island of Bali is set to observe Nyepi, the Day of Silence, marking Balinese New Year on March 19. Normally, the island’s bustling streets fall eerily quiet as Hindus retreat into reflection, meditation and rituals of spiritual renewal.
Non-Hindu residents, including tourists, are also expected to observe the tradition by staying indoors and refraining from activities that might disturb the holiday island’s rare stillness.
This year, however, the calm will share space with a different rhythm. Across Bali, some Muslims are also anticipated to take part in takbiran, the lively eve of Idul Fitri, on March 19, marked by prayers and chants of praise to God, often accompanied by the beat of drums and bursts of fireworks.
For Anggara, a Hindu resident of Tabanan regency, the coincidence feels less like a disruption and more like a reflection of Bali’s long-standing culture of coexistence.
“This year, with Nyepi coinciding with takbiran, it becomes a moment that reflects interfaith tolerance and proves that people can live peacefully amid spiritual diversity,” he told The Jakarta Post.
Read also: Extreme weather looms over Idul Fitri holiday
Although Bali is predominantly Hindu, it remains part of Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, whose thousands of islands are home to six officially recognized religions and hundreds of indigenous belief systems.
