Day of Silence at Bromo

The Nyepi rituals consist in Amati Geni (no fire or light, no electricity), Amati Karya (no working), Amati Lelunganan (no travelling), and Amati Lelanguan (fasting and no revelry and self-entertainment). This ritual starts at 06:00 in the morning at 17 March 2018 and continues to 06:00 the next day.

Melasti ritual on the way to Widodaren water source - Bromo, Nyepi

Around 100,000 Hindu centered in 30 villages live in the Tengger mountains of the Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park in East Java. Scattered communities of Tenggerese also exist in Pasuruan, Probolinggo, Malang, and Lumajang (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenggerese_people).

Road to Bromo will be closed

The road to Bromo will be totally closed starting at midnight from March 16th to 17th. It will be closed for 24 hours. In case you would like to get a glimpse of the ceremonies or if you would like to take part in it, make sure you reach the area on time.

Rituals before Day of Silence

Before Nyepi Day several ceremonies will be performed by Tengger people in the Bromo area.
The Melasti ritual is performed 3 or 4 days beforehand. Water will be taken from the source of the Widodaren hill. One can find this hill in the black Sea of Sand northwest of mount Bromo and mount Batok. The purpose of the ceremony is to purify the ceremonial equipment as well as the preparation of those facing Nyepi Day.
Tawur Kesanga is another ritual. It is performed to clean the villages. Residents gather to pray and offer. At the end "ogoh-ogoh" - giant dolls - will be burned as a symbol of environmental cleansing of evil spirits.

What is Nyepi day?

Nyepi is a "Day of Silence" is a Hindu celebration that is commemorated every Isakawarsa (Saka new year) according to the Balinese calendar. Nyepi, a public holiday in Indonesia, and is a day of silence, fasting and meditation for Hindu people.

Hinduism is the third largest religion in Indonesia. About 1.7% of Indonesia's population is Hindu. That is about 4 million people out of Indonesia's total population of 250 million. The majority live on the island of Bali which is famous for its Hindu culture (source: https://www.indonesia-investments.com/…/a…/hinduisme/item250?).