Several days before Nyepi, a Hindu Balinese purification ceremony and ritual called Melasti takes place. During Melasti, a parade of villagers carry all the sacred objects from their temple to a nearby ocean or lake shore. There the sacred objects are cleaned and purified with the holy water of the sea or the lake.
Celebrations for Nyepi are centred on Bali and take two forms.
Firstly according to custom, the arrival of Spring is the time of year when the Lord of Hell sends all the devils to Bali, who must then be cleared out to purify the island before the new year begins.
People then run through the streets of villages and towns, with their faces painted, making as much noise as they possibly can.
The evil spirits are driven away by the local people who make massive papier-mache effigies of the evil spirits called ‘Ogoh Ogoh’. The Ogoh Ogoh are then paraded through towns and villages while people with their faces painted make as much noise as they possibly can to scare the monsters away. In the evening the effigies are ceremoniously burnt, followed by dancing, drinking feasting and generally unabashed partying.