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Bali prepares for 'Nyepi' public holiday
AFP - Thursday, March 26
TABANAN, Indonesia (AFP) - - Indonesia's Hindu-majority island of Bali on Wednesday geared up for a Day of Silence to bring in the Hindu new year, but fears of election violence saw many traditional parades cancelled.
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Nyepi, as the day is known locally, will see the island shut down Thursday as Balinese Hindus are confined to their homes for a day of reflection free from work, play, talking -- and for some even eating.
But while the year usually ends with colourful parades of effigies representing evil spirits, most of the processions have been called off amid fears of violence linked to national legislative elections next month.
"The cancellation is not the decision of police but of the whole Balinese society. We've agreed we don't want anything unwanted happening because of competition between political parties," Bali police spokesman Gede Sugianyar said.
"The neighbourhoods that still want to do this can go ahead, it's not banned," Sugianyar said.
Indonesia is in the grip of rowdy campaigning by over 30 parties vying for seats in the 560-member legislature in elections on April 9.
The processions of the effigies, known as Ogoh-Ogoh, are usually carried by young men to the beaches to be burned before sunrise, symbolising renewal and the cleansing of evil from the island.
The noisy parades have been known to descend into brawls before.
Tourists were also taking last-minute opportunities to shop and relax on Bali's beaches before being confined to hotels for Nyepi, when stick-wielding traditional guards take over the streets to enforce the dusk-to-dawn silence.
Shops, most public services, ports and the island's international airport will be closed for the holiday.
Despite the fact that Balinese Hindus make up a small minority of the national population, Nyepi is observed as a public holiday in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country.
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