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Denpasar. Hundreds of young men and women took part in a mass kissing ritual in Denpasar on Wednesday to mark Ngembak Geni Day, which falls after the Balinese Hindu holiday of Nyepi.

The Omed-Omedan, or kissing ritual, is unique to Bali, and is intended to strengthen social ties among young people.

“Only our local residents can participate in this ritual. It has nothing to do with pornography, and is actually a ritual that has been passed down from generation to generation,” said Gede Anindya Perdana Putra, the leader of a youth group on the island.

“The kissing between participants is simply a symbol to strengthen the friendship between one another,” he said.

The ritual is repeated until every participant gets kissed.

During the ritual, young men stand to one side, young women to the other, and they pick their friends to be the next kissers. The designated youths are carried on their friends’ shoulders to perform the quick pecks.

Outside of the kissing ritual, life in Bali returned to normal following Nyepi, or the Day of Silence, when all activity ceases. Ngurah Rai Airport in Denpasar resumed regular operation on Wednesday after its 24-hour hiatus.

“As of 6 a.m. all activities have returned to normal, and 220 flights have resumed operation. There were minor delays for the first flights because everybody was allowed to go out only after 5 a.m.,” airport spokesman Dimyati said.

“There were no emergency landing requests” over the holiday, he added. “We are always ready for emergency landings, with 250 airport staffers and officials on stand-by during Nyepi.”

Nyepi requires the island to go silent for one day each year. Tourists are kept inside hotels with blackout shades and residents stay home. The only exception is for pecalang — community security personnel — who are in charge of safeguarding the region during the holiday.

Following the 24-hour hiatus, tourists returned to the beaches of the resort island to swim, sunbathe and surf.

“It was a sight. The rush of activity seemed the same as during the peak season,” Kuta Beach security chief I Gusti Ngurah Tresna said on Wednesday.

Bali’s ports have also reopened. “Sea transportation began at 6 a.m. The first ferry to arrive was from Ketapang Harbor in Banyuwangi,” said Ospar Silaban, water transportation operational manager at Gilimanuk port in Jembrana.

Television and radio broadcasts, both local and national, which stopped during the 24 hours of Nyepi, have also resumed, along with all business activities, with both state and private offices reopening.