Cremation Ceremony in Bali (Royal Ubud Bali) February 13, 2017
Pelebon/ Ngaben
Those individuals who die and belong to the upper classes in
Bali or royalty will usually have a Pelebon (Royal cremation) rather than a
Ngaben cremation. This ceremony will be more even more elaborate than standard
cremation ceremony, and it will involve a number of different stages. The
cremation tower for the Pelebon needs to have nine floors, and it can require
as many as 100 people to make it.
More info about Bali: Bali Travel Info
Photo by Ekarini
Ngaben:
The Balinese view the cremation of a loved one as a time of
celebration, and this is one reason why the Ngaben ceremony is so remarkable to
outsiders. The local people are usually willing to allow respectful foreign
guests to experience this unique way of sending off the deceased to the next
life. One of the surprising things is that the person who is being cremated may
have already been dead for years, but it is only now that the family can afford
the cremation ceremony.
Visitors to Bali will usually come to the conclusion early
on in their trip that the local people are deeply spiritual. It is the land of
10,000 temples, and this gives some indication of the importance that
spirituality has played in the island’s history, and how it continues to play a
key role today. Religious festivals occur regularly throughout the year, and
there are ceremonies connected with almost every facet of life here. The
majority of the Balinese, 95% of the population, would be described as
followers of Hinduism, but their traditions are also deeply influenced
by earlier indigenous beliefs. The ceremonies surrounding death are
particularly significant to the local people, and they have their own unique
way of dealing with the end of life- which they view as a transition.
The Balinese view death as being part of a continuous cycle
that involves birth, life, and death. This cycle continues until the person’s
soul is purified. When this point of complete purification is reached, the
individual can then be united with God. The local people believe that the
person who has just died will soon be reborn as somebody else, and all newborn
children are thus seen as reincarnated souls. In order for the dead person to
be able to reincarnate they must
first be released, and the Balinese Cremation Ceremony is what makes this happen.
If the dead person lived a particularly good life, they may even skip
reincarnation altogether to enter a state known as Moksha where
they will finally be free of the cycle of life and death.
Photo by Ekarini
Ngaben is
the Balinese word that local people use when referring to their cremation
ceremony – it can be translated as meaning, “turning into ash”. This is the
ritual they follow when ushering the person into their next life or sending
them on to Moksha. Unlike funeral services in other parts of the world, in Bali
it is a time to celebrate. Tourists should not be surprised to hear local
people talk about how much fun they had at one of these occasions, and if
foreign visitors are lucky enough to attend one they will see for themselves
that it is far from a somber occasion. The goal of those attending the ceremony
is to help the dying person cut any ties they have to their old life, so that
they will feel happy to move on. If the occasion was sad, the deceased might
worry and use this as an excuse to hang around.
Photo by Ekarini
The day for the Ngaben to take place is always selected by a
priest, and it will be based on the Balinese
calendar. As part of the preparations the family will be expected to arrange
for two important items that will be used in the ceremony:
- The waddhu/bade is
a tower like construction that has multiple levels – the more levels the
construction has, the important the person was in their life. It is
usually made from bamboo, paper, and wood.
- The Lembu is
coffin where the deceased’s body will stay for the ceremony. Lembu means
ox, and the coffin is usually designed to look like this animal – it is
also possible to have the coffin look like other animals.
As well as these two important items, the family will also
be expected to pay for:
- Special
offerings that will be given on behalf of the deceased.
- A Gamelan musical procession that
will accompany the deceased to the cremation pyre.
- The family
will usually sponsor a traditional puppet.
- Food
and drink for guests.
The cremation day begins with a procession, and during this
time the cremation tower will be twirled around – this is to confuse the
deceased, so they will not be tempted to return home. For most of the ceremony
there will be a real festival atmosphere, and it is only when the body is being
burnt that family members will become a bit solemn. The fire will be lit by a
priest, and the source of the flame will be a special holy fire. After the body
has been turned to ashes it will then be sprinkled with holy water. These ashes
will later be delivered into the sea.
During the 12 days following the Ngaben, there will be a
final cleansing where family member will build effigies of the deceased and
burn them. These ashes will also need to be disposed of in the sea. If the
family suspects that any part of the ceremony was not performed correctly they
will need to contact a spirit medium to find out how things can be put right.
In order to get the Ngaben ceremony right, the family will
need to spend a good deal of money. It is so expensive that most families just
can’t afford it, so they will choose to join with other families and have a
group Ngaben where the financial burden is spread among all of those involved.
A family may have to wait months, or even years, before they have the money
even for a shared Ngaben. Those families who can afford to pay for their own
ceremony will be able to arrange things more quickly, but they will still have
to wait to be given an auspicious date by a Hindu priest. If the family needs
to wait a long time before the cremation, they will usually bury the body first
of all.
Thanks to Books On Bali
