Nyepi, the Balinese New Year, is an interesting anomaly as far as traditional New Year celebrations go. Instead of ringing in the New Year with fireworks and noisemakers, the deeply devout Balinese celebrate Nyepi in near-absolute silence.
On Nyepi, the Balinese stop all their activities, turn off all lights, refrain from entertainment, and fast the whole day.
Instead, they meditate in the dark, or worship in front of their house-shrines to reflect on their spiritual lives. Folklore dictates that the silence will fool evil spirits into thinking that nobody is left on Bali, thus banishing them from the island. (Surprisingly, Chinese folklore recommend firecrackers and noise for exactly the same reason!)
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