Saturday, 26 February 2011

Bali Public Holidays

Bali Public Holidays

With 'Nyepi' fast approaching I thought I would post a list of the main public holidays in Indonesia / Bali this year.   I should add that 'Nyepi' is special for Bali as tourists cannot leave their hotel complexes, go out on the street or do any kind of activity - the Balinese Hindus believe it is the one day of the year when bad spirits pass through the island so everyone must stay indoors so as not to 'attract' the spirits and make them want to stay. They even go so far as to shut down the airport for 24 hours - the only place
Ogoh-ogoh in Kuta, Bali
in the world to do so, I have read.  But don't worry if you are booked in a hotel - they should provide all your food free of charge on the day (which this year is Saturday 5th March, or at least so I've heard - you should check with them when making a booking!

Another thing I should add about other public holidays (because for Nyepi nobody is allowed out) is the tendency for the traffic in Bali to be absolutely crazy and gridlocked around the Kuta area as many families drive over from Java and swamp the roads.

I also found the school holiday period of late June / early July to be terrible for traffic last year, especially around the Tuban area where it seemed to be gridlocked every day for the whole month the kids were off school.

All Islamic holidays also mean an exodus of people from Lombok / Java to go home and spend the holidays with their family - I would recommend against getting the ferry to either places a day before or after any islamic holidays (especially Idul Fitri / Lebaran, which marks the end of ramadan).
                                            Here's a video I filmed of some of the procession....
                       








So here is the list of all the main public holidays to be aware of, courtesy of www.sgholiday.com;


There has been an official announcement from Indonesia government regarding 2011 public holidays. The following Indonesia holiday calendar 2011 is based on the announcement.
List of Indonesia Public Holidays 2011
Kalender Hari Libur Nasional Indonesia Tahun 2011
Tahun Baru Masehi
International New Year’s Day
Saturday, 1 January 2011
Tahun Baru Imlek
Lunar / Chinese New Year – 1st day of 1st month of lunar calendar
(read about Chinese New Year 2011)
Thursday, 3 February 2011
Maulid Nabi Muhammad SAW
Mouloud (Birth of the Prophet) – Birthday of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, falls on 12th of Rabi’-ul-Awwal of Islamic Calendar
Tuesday, 15 February 2011
Hari Raya Nyepi (Tahun Baru Saka)
Bali New Year – Balinese “Day of Silence” that falls on Bali’s Lunar New Year. Nyepi is primarily a Hindu holiday
Saturday, 5 March 2011
Wafat Isa Al-Masih (Jumat Agung)
Good Friday – Date varies; this is the Friday before Easter Sunday 2011, which is the first Sunday after the first Paschal Full Moon following the official vernal equinox.
Friday, 22 April 2011
Hari Raya Waisak
Vesak Day – Buddha’s Birthday, usually is celebrated on the first full moon day in the month of May
Indonesia Hari Waisak 2011 
Tuesday, 17 May 2011
Kenaikan Isa Al-Masih
Ascension Day
Thursday, 2 June 2011
Lailat al Miraj
Ascension of the Prophet
Wednesday, 29 June 2011
Hari Proklamasi Kemerdekaan R.I.
Indonesian National Day – Celebrating the country’s proclamation of independence in year 1945
Wednesday, 17 August 2011
Hari Raya Idul Fitri / Lebaran
Eid al-Fitr – End of Ramadan. Symbolize winning from the evil after 1 month of fasting.
Tuesday, 30 August 2011
Wednesday, 31 August 2011
Hari Raya Idul Adha / Hari Raya Haji
Eid al-Adha Feast of the Sacrifice / Kurban
Sunday, 6 November 2011
Monday, 7 November 2011
Tahun Baru 1432 Hijriyah
Al-Hijra Islamic New Year according to Islamic calendar, falls on 1st of Muharram
Sunday, 27 November 2011
Monday, 28 November 2011
Hari Raya Natal
Christmas Day / Boxing Day
Sunday, 25 December 2011
Monday, 26 December 2011
Happy Indonesia Holidays 2011 !

Bali Public Holidays

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