DENPASAR ~ Even though Bali’s Hindu New Year, Nyepi, is set to be extra-quiet this year due to a ban on ogoh-ogoh parades, many hotels are planning to go ahead with the tradition to appease guests, an official said.

“We have received many orders from hotels for ogoh-ogoh, which cost around Rp3.5 million (US$290) per effigy,” head of Sanggar Seni Gases, an arts organization in Denpasar that makes the giant and fearsome-looking creatures, Jero Mankgu Candra said.

However, he said the orders were mostly for smaller, lightweight ogoh-ogoh compared to the ones traditionally used in villages.

“Tourists are really excited to see the ogoh-ogoh parades, which only happen once a year, so hotels are keen to give them this experience,” he said.

He said most of the orders we for effigies of buta kala, Hindu bad spirits, but they would be made vivid and funny.

Authorities in many areas of Bali have banned normally raucous ogoh-ogoh parades this year due to fears of clashes between rival villages ahead of parliamentary elections next month.

Nyepi, the Hindu Day of Silence, when all activity ceases in Bali for 24 hours, falls on March 26 this year.