Non-Hindu residents leave Bali for Nyepi holiday

BALI. Thousands of non-Hindu residents of the resort island have decided to spend the Nyepi holiday outside Bali. They flocked to ferry ports, bus terminals, as well as the airport, leaving Bali.

Gilimanuk ferry port has seen passenger and vehicle numbers jump since Saturday as the annual Nyepi exodus started to pick up momentum. “We have been experiencing a surge in passenger numbers since Saturday morning, reaching its peak at night. It is likely to continue until Monday, one day before Nyepi,” Gilimanuk ferry port operational manager Wahyudi Susianto told Bali Daily on Sunday.

Gilimanuk port, which lies in the island’s westernmost regency of Jembrana, is the main gateway connecting Bali with Java.

Within 24 hours, since 7 a.m. on Saturday morning until 7 a.m. on Sunday morning, the port had recorded 7,448 motorbikes, 4,669 cars and 2,700 passengers on foot without a private vehicle, leaving Bali for Java. These figures reflect a jump compared to normal conditions.

Usually, the number of vehicles crossing the Bali Strait from Gilimanuk to Ketapang ferry port in Banyuwangi on Java reaches 1,500 motorcycles and 2,800 cars, including buses, trucks and private cars. The number of passengers on foot is less than 1,000 people every day.

“Many non-Hindu residents prefer to spend their holiday outside Bali. It is an annual phenomenon,” Wahyudi said.

The increasing number of passengers and vehicles leaving Bali for Java has caused queues at the port, reaching 3 kilometers from the port gate.

Due to the increasing number of passengers and vehicles, the port has managed 28 ferries per day to service all the passengers. “We are eager to give the best service to our customers,” he said.

Nyepi is the day marking the beginning of the Hindu new year according to the Saka lunar calendar. During Nyepi, Balinese Hindus will observe catur brata penyepian (four abstentions): amati geni (abstaining from lighting fires or using electricity), amati karya (abstaining from work), amati lelungan (abstaining from traveling outside family compounds) and amati lelanguan (abstaining from entertainment).

During Nyepi, no-one can enter or leave the island for 24 hours. All entrances to the island will be closed, starting from 6 a.m. local time on March 12 and ending at 6 a.m. the following day.

On D-day, both Balinese and non-Balinese residents will be required to stay at home and to practice catur brata penyepian, meditation and introspection. Only people in emergency situations are exempt from all Nyepi prohibitions. Dispensation will be given by the customary villages in emergency conditions, such as for those needing immediately to get to hospital, including women giving birth.

Listiyo Budi, a native of Malang in East Java, who has been living on the island for more than 4 years, is one of the non-Hindu residents that prefers to spend the holiday outside Bali. “I am eager to spend my time with my extended family in Malang every time I get a holiday,” he said.

During his time in Bali, Budi has never been spent Nyepi on the island. “Nyepi in Bali is really exciting for me. But I decided to go to my hometown, while I have a long holiday,” the employee of a financing company in Bali said.

Even having to face extraordinary queues at Gilimanuk port when leaving Bali before Nyepi, Budi admitted that he enjoyed it. “This morning I had a 3-hour queue at Gilimanuk port. This is an annual situation, like Idul Fitri. I enjoy it,” he said. (Ni Komang Erviani)