Bali's Day of Silence, or "Nyepi," was celebrated on Thursday and requires locals and tourists on the Hindu-majority island to stay at home for 24 hours for self-reflection.

No work, travel, entertainment and even electricity use is discouraged.

Zgraggen was arrested on Saturday after he was reported to police over an Instagram post, said Ariasandy, who like many Indonesians uses only one name.

In the post, he repeatedly used the "f" word to refer to the holiday.

The tourist stands accused of spreading hate speech online, an offense which under Indonesia's new criminal code can land him as many as five years in prison.

Ariasandy said police would seize Zgraggen's iPhone and question witnesses.

Bali attracts millions of foreign visitors each year but has seen recent high-profile cases of misbehaving tourists.

Last week, authorities on the island arrested two French nationals and an Italian on accusations of producing and distributing pornography, which is forbidden in the Muslim-majority country, which officially recognizes six religions as well as indigenous beliefs.