Every year in Prambanan, a sacred event is held to commemorate Nyepi Day starting from the night before Nyepi Day. The Tawur Agung ritual aims to expel evil spirits by using offerings and various offerings.
Prambanan is the largest Hindu ritual center in Central Java. Nyepi Night comes on the new moon around March or April according to the Balinese Hindu calendar. The Nyepi ritual begins at noon when the sun is overhead by burning incense accompanied by the reading of the Vedas and the ringing of bells.
Other participants of Tawur Agung participate in the Ogoh-Ogoh parade, a paper statue. The Ogoh-ogoh will be burned before sunrise as a symbol that all evil has gone before the new year. The purpose of this ritual is to achieve harmony between God, humans, and nature.
The next day, Nyepi is a day of silence while deepening religion. Hindus are prohibited from leaving their homes, while in Bali, hotel guests are advised not to leave their hotels. Many Buddhists in Java also stay at home. Staying at home is a symbol of nothingness, where nothingness is the initial condition before the universe was created.
Visitors are free to watch the Tawur Agung ritual, with several conditions so as not to disrupt the ritual.
