Each year, Hindus on the island of Bali observe Nyepi, the Balinese Hindu Day of Silence, which also marks the start of the Balinese New Year. It is a day reserved for self-reflection, when people stay home and are not allowed to use lights, start fires, work, travel, or enjoy entertainment. In the days leading up to Nyepi, several rituals take place, meant to banish evil and bestow good fortune in the year ahead. One such tradition is the ogoh-ogoh parade, where giant demonic effigies are carried through the streets, then burned in purification ceremonies.
Ogoh-ogoh Parades Welcome the Balinese New Year
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![A crowd gathers in a street at night, around a giant sculpture of a demon, during a festival.]()
Read moreYoung Balinese men carry an ogoh-ogoh, a giant menacing-looking sculpture, during the ogoh-ogoh parade in Tegallalang Village, Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia, on the eve of Nyepi, the Balinese Hindu Day of Silence, March 20, 2023. #
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![A group of young men carry a sculpture of a demon along a parade route.]()
Read morePeople carry an ogoh-ogoh effigy during a ceremony at Segara temple a day before Nyepi, in Surabaya, Indonesia, on March 21, 2023. #
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![A group of people carry a large sculpture of a creature riding a giant octopus.]()
Read moreBalinese youths carry ogoh-ogoh in Denpasar, Bali, on March 18, 2023. Nyepi, the Balinese Hindu Day of Silence, marks the arrival of the new Saka lunar year in Indonesia. #
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![Several people walk near a sculpture of a demonic creature.]()
Read moreDevotees display an ogoh-ogoh during a ceremony at Prambanan temple in Sleman on March 21, 2023. #
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![People wear costumes while carrying frightening sculptures in a parade.]()
Read moreDancers stand in front of giant ogoh-ogoh effigies during a parade to celebrate Nyepi in Denpasar, Bali, on March 21, 2023. #
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![A group of people lift a platform above their heads in a parade, the platform holds sculptures of several monsters.]()
Read morePeople carry an elaborate ogoh-ogoh sculpture in a parade in Denpasar, Bali, on March 18, 2023. #
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![Young people carry effigies of demonic creatures.]()
Read moreYoung people carry effigies of ogoh-ogoh in a parade in Tegallalang Village, Gianyar, Bali, on March 20, 2023. #
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![Young people laugh and scream while carrying a sculpture of a demonic creature in a parade.]()
Read moreBalinese girls scream as they carry an ogoh-ogoh through Tegallalang Village on March 20, 2023. #
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![A group of young people carry torches while marching in a parade.]()
Read moreYoung Balinese women carry bamboo torches during the ogoh-ogoh parade in Tegallalang Village. #
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![A crowd gathers beneath a large demonic sculpture.]()
Read moreA crowd gathers beneath a large ogoh-ogoh on March 20, 2023, in Tegallalang Village, Bali. #
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![A group of people carry several frightening sculptures through a parade route at night.]()
Read moreBalinese people carry ogoh-ogoh effigies during a parade in Denpasar, Bali, on March 21, 2023. #
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![A frightening sculpture resembling a demon with long hair is seen in a nighttime parade, lit from below.]()
Read moreAn ogoh-ogoh, lit from below, is seen on a parade route in Denpasar on March 21, 2023. #
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![A group of people run while carrying a sculpture on a parade route.]()
Read moreYoung Balinese men carry an ogoh-ogoh through Tegallalang Village on March 20, 2023. #
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![People parade through a village at night with a frightening sculpture.]()
Read morePeople parade through Tegallalang Village with an ogoh-ogoh, lit by a flare, on March 20, 2023. #
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![A crowd gathers in a street beneath a frightening sculpture.]()
Read moreA crowd gathers beneath an ogoh-ogoh during the ogoh-ogoh parade in Tegallalang Village, Bali, on the eve of Nyepi, March 20, 2023. #
Agung Parameswara / Getty
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