Bali Travel Guide ->Sightseeing in Bali -> Cremation Rites
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| The cremation
rites are even more important to the Balinese than the normal temple
festivals. They believe, according to the Hindu tradition, that burning the
body frees the soul, so that it can be re-born and start a better life. If
you visit Bali and drive around in the countryside you will probably see
at least one colourful cremation procession walking by and it might
be interesting to know what these processions are about.
The cremation procedures are very complicated and also very expensive. If the family does not have enough money the dead are buried temporarily and the cremation is postponed until the necessary financial means have been acquired (Some families spend decades saving money for the occasion!). When a high-ranking personality dies the poorer families can exhume their dead and join the cremation, but they still have to pay their share in the costs. When all the necessary preparations are finished the deceased are placed in elaborately decorated portable cremation towers (Bad�s) that are carried by the men to the cremation place. The women and girls follow in their best clothes and carry on the head baskets with fruit and flowers. Gamelan musicians beat drums and play other instruments. The atmosphere is not at all sad or depressing but very cheerful and happy. When the procession has reached the cremation place a priest pours holy water over the coffins and recites Sanskrit Mantras (the most important part of the ceremony) After that the wood and tree branches that have been placed under and around the coffins, and also the cremation towers themselves are set on fire. The ashes are collected by the relatives in coconut shells and on the next morning ceremonially handed over to the sea or a river. |
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