NYEPI SEGARA A LOCAL TRADITION IN NUSA PENIDA, NUSA LEMBONGAN AND NUSA CENINGAN
Once a year, people on Bali Island celebrate Nyepi Day. Nyepi comes from the word Sepi in Bahasa Indonesia or Sipeng in the Balinese language which means quiet. For about 24 hours all people in Bali stop all their activities and the busy island becomes quiet, calm, and peaceful. No electricity, no entertainment, no fire and not traveling. The island becomes very quiet and everybody remains U each of their houses. No clubs, no shops or restaurants are open. Hotels or other types of accommodation are still open and continue their operation but in quiet and very low sound and less lighting during the night. This Nyepi day is to celebrate the coming of the new Caka year as the Balinese Hindu calendar.
lf on the main Island of Bali, Nyepi is the celebration of the coming of the new Caka year, but it’s different to the local people at three islands of Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan who have Nyepi, day, but their Nyepi is called Nyepi Segara. These three Islands are still part of the whole Island of Bali which includes the Klungkung regency. All islands can only be reached by using traditional boat or fast boat
from Sanur, Padang Bay, Kusamba and Benoa harbor. These three islands are also called Nusa Gede.
Basically, how they do it is almost the same as celebration of the Nyepi day in the main island of Bali. People who live on these three islands have local wisdom to keep the balance of their nature by doing this Nyepi Segara (ocean). For about 24 hours any kind of activity on the ocean is stopped. To the people of Nusa Gede Nyepi Segara this is one of their ways to show their appi eciation of the nature, especially to the ocean that surrounds their islands.
The tradition of Nyepi Segara is said to have started since 1600 during the rule of Dalem Waturenggong King, which takes place on Punama Kapat – the forth full moon of the Balinese calendar. According to the Bendesa adat (the traditional village headman) of Nusa Penida–IWayan Sukasta said that Nyepi Segara is one of their way to honor Dewa Baruna as the guardian of the ocean, where during the Nyepi Segara is being held on the forth full moon, they believed Dewa Baruna is doing hisYoga and meditation to create tirtha amertha- the holy water for the whole human life the universe. During this period they believeď they do the Nyepi Segara not to disturb the Yoga and meditation process of Dewa Baruna.
Same as the Nyepi day on the main island of Bali, a day before the Nyepi day that is called Pangrupukan, the people of Nusa Gede do Mepepada to bless the universe and throw offerings to the ocean. The whole ceremonies always being done in Pura Dalem Ped or Pura Batu Medau in turn, because both of those temples are the biggest temple existing in Nusa Gede.
During the Nyepi Segara if any body doesn’t follow the regulation, there will never be any physical punishment to the guilty person, until they got caught. But the punishment will be in psychological form and will be really hard to the guilty party since the community will talk about and the reputation of the person will be go down. According to the agreement between the three Islands the regulation not to touch the ocean during Nyepi Segara is being obeyed very much by all the villagers. But all activities on land are still carried out as normal, because the Nyepi Segara is only dedicated to the ocean.
