A man creates a body shape of styrofoam ogoh-ogoh on March 9, 2023 at the ogoh-ogoh craft and seller in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. Ogoh-ogoh, giant menacing-looking dolls, are paraded through streets a day before Nyepi, the Balinese day of silence. In the last few decades, inorganic material such as polystyrene foam, locally known as styrofoam, has been adopted as the preferred material. Miniatures start at 150,000 Indonesian Rupiah (USD 9); large effigies can sell for as much as IDR 4,000,000 (USD 260). The materials used to make the effigies are highly damaging to the environment and contains possible human carcinogens. Without meaningful recycling, plastic and other waste ends up in landfills or leaks into the ocean instead. In 2015, a global study estimating inputs of plastic waste into the oceans ranked Indonesia as the second largest contributor to plastic marine pollution. In 2017, another study ranked four Indonesian rivers in the worlds most polluting top 20. There has been a growing movement towards the use of environmentally friendly materials and a return to the traditional weaving of bamboo, led by the Balinese youth community. Re-embracing the old method of crafting ogoh-ogoh using eco-friendly and recyclable materials such as plaited bamboo, wood, paper pulps, plastic waste, natural ingredients, and innovation with metal rods, the production process is much longer and involves youth learning the traditional skill of ngulat (weaving) bamboo strips. This method is not only more eco-friendly but also more effective at building a sense of camaraderie and raising awareness about protecting the environment through cultural traditions. (Photo by Agung Parameswara/Getty Images)





Men carry a giant “ogoh-ogoh” effigies or bewilder evil spirits during a parade to celebrate “Nyepi” or Bali's Day of Silence which falls on Hindu New Year in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, Tuesday, March 21, 2023. Most Balinese keep self-reflection and stay at home to observe quiet holiday. Tourists visiting the island, are asked not to leave their hotels and the airport will be closed. (Photo by Firdia Lisnawati/AP Photo)





Balinese kids carry the ogoh-ogoh, the giant menacing-looking dolls during the ogoh-ogoh parade on the eve of Nyepi, the Balinese Hindu Day of Silence that marks the arrival of the new Saka lunar year on March 20, 2023 in Tegalalang Village, Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia. Balinese Hindus perform a series of rituals in early March to celebrate the lunar new year, which culminates in the observance of Nyepi. The Ogoh-ogoh became a staple of the parade in the early 1980s. Prior to that, the participants roamed the streets carrying bamboo torches and making loud noises with percussion instruments to scare away the demons. In present-day Bali, the majority of ogoh-ogoh are built by members of seka teruna teruni, the youth wing of banjar. Nyepi comes from the word sepi or sipeng which means lonely, quiet, silent, zero, empty, no crowd, no noise, and no activity. Since 1983, Nyepi has been a national holiday. The celebration of the Nyepi festivities for Balinese Hindus in Indonesia is an opportunity for self-reflection which is called mulat sarira. All residents and visitors are required to abide by the rules called Catur Brata Penyepian, consisting of: no open fires or flames, no pleasurable activities, no work or labor, and no journeys.(Photo by Agung Parameswara/Getty Images)





Balinese young men carry the ogoh-ogoh, the giant menacing-looking dolls during the ogoh-ogoh parade on the eve of Nyepi, the Balinese Hindu Day of Silence that marks the arrival of the new Saka lunar year on March 20, 2023 in Tegalalang Village, Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia. (Photo by Agung Parameswara/Getty Images)





Balinese girls scream as they carry the ogoh-ogoh, the giant menacing-looking dolls during the ogoh-ogoh parade on the eve of Nyepi, the Balinese Hindu Day of Silence that marks the arrival of the new Saka lunar year on March 20, 2023 in Tegalalang Village, Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia.(Photo by Agung Parameswara/Getty Images)





People carry an “Ogoh-Ogoh” effigy during a ceremony at Segara temple a day before “Nyepi”, the day of silence, in Surabaya on March 21, 2023. Hindus observe Nyepi by refraining from going to work, travel or taking part in any indulgence. (Photo by Juni Kriswanto/AFP Photo)





Dancers stand in front of a giant “ogoh-ogoh” effigies or bewilder evil spirits during a parade to celebrate “Nyepi” or Bali's Day of Silence which falls on Hindu New Year in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, Tuesday, March 21, 2023. Most Balinese keep self-reflection and stay at home to observe quiet holiday. Tourists visiting the island, are asked not to leave their hotels and the airport will be closed. (Photo by Firdia Lisnawati/AP Photo)





Balinese people carry an “Ogoh-Ogoh” effigy during a parade a day before “Nyepi”, the day of silence, in Denpasar on Indonesia's resort island of Bali on March 21, 2023. Hindus on the island of Bali observe Nyepi by refraining from going allowed to work, travel or taking part in any indulgence. The Indonesian holiday island of Bali shuts down for the day of silence to mark the Hindu new year on March 22. (Photo by Sonny Tumbelaka/AFP Photo)





Devotees display an effigy known as Ogoh-Ogoh during a ceremony at Prambanan temple in Sleman on March 21, 2023, a day before the “Day of Silence”, locally known as Nyepi, when Hindus do not work, travel or take part in any indulgence. (Photo by Devi Rahman/AFP Photo)





Balinese young men carry the ogoh-ogoh, the giant menacing-looking dolls during the ogoh-ogoh parade on the eve of Nyepi, the Balinese Hindu Day of Silence that marks the arrival of the new Saka lunar year on March 20, 2023 in Tegalalang Village, Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia. (Photo by Agung Parameswara/Getty Images)





Balinese young men carry the ogoh-ogoh, the giant menacing-looking dolls during the ogoh-ogoh parade on the eve of Nyepi, the Balinese Hindu Day of Silence that marks the arrival of the new Saka lunar year on March 20, 2023 in Tegalalang Village, Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia.(Photo by Agung Parameswara/Getty Images)





Balinese young women hold bamboo torches during the ogoh-ogoh parade on the eve of Nyepi, the Balinese Hindu Day of Silence that marks the arrival of the new Saka lunar year on March 20, 2023 in Tegalalang Village, Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia. (Photo by Agung Parameswara/Getty Images)





Members of Yoni Budiharjo's family set food on a table for Iftar before they break their fast together at their house during Ramadan in Depok, Indonesia, 23 March 2023. Iftar is the fast-breaking meal eaten by Muslims during the fasting month of Ramadan immediately after sunset. Muslims around the world celebrate Ramadan by praying during the night time and abstaining from eating, drinking, and sexual acts during the period between sunrise and sunset. Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar and it is believed that the revelation of the first verse in the Koran was during its last 10 nights. (Photo by Adi Weda/EPA/EFE)





Students sit in circles as they attend a Quran reading class during the first week of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at Ar-Raudlatul Hasanah Islamic Boarding School in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Saturday, March 25, 2023. (Photo by Binsar Bakkara/AP Photo)





Men wait for the time to break their fast at a food stall, during the first week of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Saturday, March 25, 2023. Muslims around the world are observing Ramadan, the holiest month in Islamic calendar, where they refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, and s*x from dawn to dusk. (Photo by Dita Alangkara/AP Photo)





A Muslim woman reads a copy of the Koran on the fourth day of the holy month of Ramadan at the Istiqlal mosque in Jakarta on March 26, 2023. (Photo by Adek Berry/AFP Photo)





Lava gushes from Mount Merapi, the most active volcano in Indonesia, seen from the village of Tunggularum in Sleman, Yogyakarta, Indonesia on March 26, 2023. (Photo by Dasril Roszandi/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)





Ethic Rohingya women and children rest inside a mosque that is turned into a temporary shelter after they land in Kuala Matang Peulawi, Aceh province, Indonesia, Monday, March 27, 2023. More than 180 Rohingya Muslims arrived weak and hungry in the early morning in Indonesia’s northernmost province of Aceh, an official said Monday. (Photo by Hafiza/AP Photo)





Two scavengers collect plastics in the Citarum river in Bandung, West Java on March 28, 2023. (Photo by Timur Matahari/AFP Photo)





A Muslim person prepares meals for breaking fast during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan at a mosque in Yogyakarta on March 28, 2023. (Photo by Devi Rahman/AFP Photo)