In Reply to: Clarification II posted by I. B. Oka (not related) on Sunday, 4. April 1999 at 00:53 Bali Time:
I certainly don't mean to have an argument with you, but what I was told by my Balinese business partner and supported by several expats who have lived in Bali for some time is that last year, Nyepi 1998, was the first year in a long time that Oga Ogas returned as a part of Nyepi eve celebrations, including the large competetion of them in Denpasar. This year, Nyepi 1999, the use of Oga Ogas in Bali was much more widespread, each of many villages making one for this competiton. Everyone I spoke to made if very clear that on Bali (and not speaking of Java or Lombok), oga ogas were banned by the government, not just once, but for several years. Exactly how long these were banned, I do not know.