Ubud D70-73: Balinese New Year Celebrations

Ian went back to Kuta to go surfing, and I stayed in Ubud to see the New Year's celebration. I had read that Ubud is THE PLACE to be for the Ogoh-Ogoh festival, and since we were a few days away, I wasn't willing to leave THE PLACE. We're big kids, and after babysitting Ian's fever for forever over a week, we decided a few days apart would be nice.

Ogoh-Ogoh is like our New Year's Eve celebration, taking place the day before Nyepi, the Balinese Hindu new year. It started in the 80's, so the tradition is relatively new.

Every community participates in Ogoh-Ogoh by creating a big demon that looks like a foam/papier-mache monster. These demons signify spiritual pollutants and evil created by humans in the past year. The community gathers donations and works on the demons for about a month prior to the festival. The children of the community usually have their own, smaller demon to create. The demons are paraded around town during Ogoh-Ogoh, then brought to their community cemeteries to be burned at the end of the night, in hopes that the new year will start demon-free. Ya dig?

 

In the weeks leading up to Ogoh-Ogoh, we can see the demons take on life. At first they're white blobs on bamboo sticks, but later we see talons, wings and fangs added. They're evil and epic.

   

A few days before Ogoh-Ogoh, I ask everyone, EVERYONE, for details. "Where is the best place to see Ogoh-Ogoh? Where does the parade go? What time does it start?" The response: "... everywhere. ...afternoon." The lady who steamed my vagina said to maybe go to the soccer field. A girl working at the market said she thought it started around six or seven. 

It's 5PM on Friday the 20th, the day of Ogoh-Ogoh. I'm not finding any information from Googling. I click the "image" tab and see a lot of the pictures have clear, sunny skies in the background. The sun sets around 6:30 here, meaning it very well could be going on now. I rush out the door.

I walk toward the soccer field and the street is PACKED. I ask policemen which way the parade would go and they don't know. I ask a security guard where to watch the parade and he hits his fists together and opens his hands wide, like an explosion. I thank him. A few tourists relay their vague information. I head to the soccer field.

(((****It was IMPOSSIBLE to find out when and where the festivities would be held. I Googled EVERYTHING. I need to add these phrases to my post so people will know for next year: 

Where to go for Ogoh Ogoh in Ubud? 

Ogoh Ogoh parade route Ubud. 

Where to watch Ubud Ogoh Ogoh Parade. 

WHERE THE FUCK DO I WATCH OGOH OGOH?!

So, here you are travelers of 2016, the Ogoh-Ogoh low-down in Ubud: 

~5PM-6:30PM all the demons arrive at the soccer field. They line up and are judged. 

~6:30PM-7:30PM the demons are walked in front of the Ubud Palace, where an announcer talks about the demons (in Bahasa Indonesian) and there is a small performance.

~7:30PM-9PM The demons go different directions, heading towards their villages. They can take the short or long route home, and no one can tell you where the parade goes because it's not just one route. The demons are split up and off to individual village cemeteries. 

(Also, Ian saw the Ogoh-Ogoh parade in Kuta. The main place to see the parade in Kuta is at Bemo Corner, the roundabout where Jalan Pantai Kuta, Jalan Raya Kuta, Jalan Buni Sari and Jalan Legian meet.)****)))

And so, from what I can tell, the best way to see all the demons is to go to the soccer field at 6PM. They slowly trickle in as early as 4:30PM, but there won't be many until about 6PM. The figures make an appearance here to be judged, and there's room to walk between them and take pictures. Be careful, though, the demons are always comin' in hot! The men carrying them often RUN to their place in line. Pay attention when you hear whistles.
  

It is a total clusterfuck once the paraders march to Ubud Palace, and it's really not fun with so many smushed people. The villages take their demon to different parts of the intersection and wait to be called for a short performance. I take a few pictures but can't get a great view of what's going on. A shitty kid shines a red laser in my eye every time I lift my camera. Or was he a demon?

   

And so the "parade" begins. Demons go every which way. People are pushed and trampled a bit. There is a lot of yelling and cheering. There's a seedy vibe in the air from natives and tourists alike. 

There's also a sense that the locals aren't exactly thrilled to see all the tourists. The Balinese practice tolerance and rely on tourism, and for the entirety of my stay in Bali I have been greeted with open arms, but Ogoh-Ogoh was different. While nothing is outright said, the looks were less friendly and the lack of information seemed purposefully misleading. (This is just my observation.)

The next day is Nyepi, Bali's New Year's Day and their "Day of Silence". There is no working, eating, traveling, or pleasure on this day. You are not allowed to be outside. You are not allowed to be loud. The lights need to be turned off or dimmed. You're not even supposed to watch TV. THE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IS CLOSED. They are super serious about this holiday.

Why? According to local folklore, evil spirits fly over the island on the first evening of the new year. If it is dark and quiet, the spirits will pass over Bali for the year; if there is activity, it will arouse their interest, and they will come to Bali and start wildin' out. 

Shittily (with all due respect), tourists are not immune to the restrictions. In fact, security officers (the only people allowed to work besides hospital workers) roam the streets, and if they catch you outside, or inside being too loud or too bright etc, you will be FINED 50 KILOS (110LBS) of rice. I am not literally made of rice, so I keep mum.

Ian is also compelled to observe Nyepi in Kuta, on what he speculates might have been a perfect beach day. We're bored. We've been grounded, and the babysitter wants rice. 

Snooze.