Ogoh-ogoh
Giant monster figures paraded and burned on the eve of Nyepi in Bali.
Also: ogoh ogoh
Ogoh-ogoh are huge papier-mache and bamboo figures of demons and monsters, made by young people in each Balinese village and carried through the streets on the evening before Nyepi, the Day of Silence. They represent negative forces, and after the parade, they are burned, to cleanse the village and begin the new year in peace. Teams work for weeks, designing striking faces, claws and fangs, and parades are accompanied by the loud clang of gamelan and torches. The custom grew only in the 1980s, but is now central. Many figures are now made of eco-friendly materials rather than foam.
Region: Southeast Asia