Melasti is the awe-inspiring purification procession that precedes Nyepi, the Balinese Day of Silence. Three or four days before the Saka New Year, every community across Bali forms a procession and walks to the nearest body of holy water: the ocean, a lake, a river, or a sacred spring. The procession carries the village's sacred objects: pratima (deity effigies), umbul-umbul (ceremonial flags), barong, rangda masks, gamelan instruments, and the full set of temple regalia — all of which are cleansed in the water to spiritually purify both the objects and the community before the year's most sacred day. The sight of thousands of white-clad devotees converging on the beach at Kuta, Sanur, Padang Bai, and dozens of other coastal points is one of the most visually overwhelming experiences in Bali. On the popular beaches of south Bali, Melasti day draws tens of thousands of participants and observers. The processions are accompanied by the crash of gamelan gongs, the calls of priests, and the solemn chanting of prayers. As sunset approaches, the sacred items are blessed, prayers are offered to the sea, and the community makes its way home.