I

am not a Hindu, nevertheless Nyepi, the New Year’s Day based on the Saka lunar calendar, celebrated in Bali, is without doubt my preferred annual feast.

At first, I liked the idea of spending all day with my family and friends living in the same residential complex, without any external pressure, for the prohibition of leaving one’s own house or compound.

Afterwards, I started to appreciate it as an opportunity to enjoy the surrounding environment: The silence broken only by natural sounds, such as those of roosters competing for the best cock-a-doodle-doo and the chirping of birds; no troubling noises from humans and mechanical means or any other type of pollution; clean and crisp air without the pungent smell of smoke or the stink of something burning.

Lately, I have started to realize Nyepi’s uniqueness and to appreciate it. In fact, to my knowledge, it’s the only feast, worldwide, without any display of outward appearance or ceremony.

These cease the night before Nyepi, with the colorful parades of giant effigies (ogoh-ogoh). It is different from any other religious or cultural feast where, sometimes, rituals and manifestations end up diminishing and almost replacing original meanings and values.

I am a Catholic and to me, Christmas, for instance, recalls the crib with a cattle shed and the newborn Jesus lying down on the manger, but also the Christmas tree sparkling with multicolored lights, festoons and decorations.

It’s a magical day for children but for adults too who, at least for one day, like to become children again, neglecting the stress of rushing to buy gifts and the leakage of a great deal of money.

Idul Fitri, the main Muslim feast after the long fasting month of Ramadhan, is the occasion for emigrants to come back home (pulang kampung), but not empty-handed: Dresses and other presents are usually offered to wider family members, while friends expect souvenirs (oleh-oleh). Though both are religious feasts, they share the same character and praiseworthy purpose of strengthening familial and social links.

Only Nyepi provides the opportunity to pause, look deeply at oneself and “meditate” in accordance with its different meanings: Intellectual activity of thinking with concentration, in western cultures; spiritual activity with silence of mind and contemplation, in Hindu and eastern cultures.

Hopefully, on this special day, providing the opportunity to be alone with their minds and souls, people staying in Bali can meditate so that, on the new lunar year, they will be aware of certain important matters and truths that are sometimes difficult to grasp during everyday life that is so busy and often stressful.

I wish foreign tourists visiting Bali could be aware of the inner values of Balinese culture and not only of its external, folklore aspects, and could also respect the values they cannot appreciate or share.

I wish foreign residents and businessmen could be conscious of the message of harmony permeating local culture, and live and make businesses accordingly.

I hope Balinese women could realize that their graceful silhouettes parading for ceremonies should be for more than mere appearance. This charm and beauty are expected to result from being in keeping with the local culture, now affected by imported values and behaviors.

And I wish they could be aware that homogenization and standardization are not good for cultures, because they cancel the wealth and beauty of differences, making all flat. Instead of following the mermaid’s melody of imported cultures, they could push for changing traditional rules that no longer meet their evolving needs and aspirations, in harmony with the spirit of Balinese culture and feminine nature.

I hope Balinese men can be aware of their luck because, in a world where women, reacting to previous and present perceived injustices, proclaim equality between sexes and increasingly adopt masculine attitudes and values, Balinese women still remain feminine.

And I hope they can work alongside these women, to create a society where inner femininity counts and is more appreciated, and where being good parents is a basic value and an important task; because it is a task that nobody can do for them.

I wish that Balinese boys and girls can be aware that obeying and respecting parents and listening to old people are not obsolete, useless matters, clipping their wings. Because Mahatma Gandhi, the most respected and admired Hindu worldwide, also by his previous enemies, acknowledges in his autobiography that he was a very obedient and respectful son. Of course, he also had the luck to have good parents!

I wish that Balinese politicians can be conscious of their heavy responsibility, which is not only the island’s economic development, but also protecting its valuable environment and culture, which are now threatened in many different ways. When the time comes for weighing up our life, it’s not wealth, power accumulated or social approval obtained that are of value, but how we have fulfilled our social role. A good result will be the best reward for us and the most precious achievement for our society.

And finally, I hope Balinese Gods and Spirits can help Balinese and non-Balinese people to work together to open the path for a new era of the Island of Gods, where the three harmonies of Tri Hita Karana, at which aims local culture, will be finally fulfilled.

The writer is an Italian architect and urban planner who has been living in Ubud, Bali since
November 2008.