Uploaded April 2017 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
In Bali, New Year's Eve in March goes out with a bang to scare away the evil ghosts from the previous year! ...and then silence on New Year's day, and darkness as the sun sets. No one is allowed to turn on a light or even use electronics for the entire first day of the new year so that the evil spirits can't find their way back to them. One should stay indoors, but if you peek out your window, you'll be able to see the Milky Way, with the absence of city light. We did. Hopefully the evil ghosts are gone and we can start the new year fresh. The Balinese New Year is on the new moon after the middle of March. This gamelan was the last of 6 to perform that evening at the intersection of Pereranan and Penatarun, a walk from where i was staying.
In Bali, New Year's Eve in March goes out with a bang to scare away the evil ghosts from the previous year! ...and then silence on New Year's day, and darkness as the sun sets. No one is allowed to turn on a light or even use electronics for the entire first day of the new year so that the evil spirits can't find their way back to them. One should stay indoors, but if you peek out your window, you'll be able to see the Milky Way, with the absence of city light. We did. Hopefully the evil ghosts are gone and we can start the new year fresh. The Balinese New Year is on the new moon after the middle of March. This gamelan was the last of 6 to perform that evening at the intersection of Pereranan and Penatarun, a walk from where i was staying.
