Cremation of the Balinese

For a change I woke up to the birds signing, not the roosters! I slept very well in my new pad. This place is so peaceful and beautiful. What a change from the busy place of Ubud. I spend the day writing at the beach, I know I have AC now, but why would I stay indoors, when I am fortunate enough to be in the tropics. I have the beach all to myself, comfortable chair with a good table and straw roof. The water did return to its normal level, but the beach is still a deception. Again too much garbage washes on the shore. Beside the garbage tons of weed ends u on the beach and the hotel do not sweep it. The water is also full of seaweed. I went for a walk on the beach, I didn’t go too far. Being alone I have no one to apply sunscreen on my back and shoulders. There is a lot of water sports here. And the beach is not a true white sand beach. Everywhere it is advertise as a white sand beach, I can understand why it is white to them with so many black sand beaches, but it is more like a pink golden color. It’s a coarse sand. Some part of the beach are impossible to walk, you sink so deep into the sand, it feels like quick sand, but I never experience quick sand so I am not sure. I am amazed how fast the day went by. Then I lift my eyes from my laptop and the water has recess without me noticing. I go in the room to grab my camera but I had to return to bring it back. Trying to look through the lens I kept loosing balance, and I was wondering what was going on with me, I have been drinking only water since Nyepi. The water had not completely withdraw and the attraction is so strong that you can’t stand still, you feel the ocean pulling you. As I never been to the Bay of Fundy, I have never experienced a tide under my feet. I actually like this phenomena. I can walk on the sand far away, near where the waves are breaking, at least a mile walk. The water is so warm here, it does not shock you, when you enter, no acclimatization is needed it. The water is probably at the same temperature as my body, it is so hot. If you want to cool down, you go take a cold shower! Even far away where the waves are, it is warm. You can’t really stand in the water, waiting for the waves to hit you, you feel being pulled forward. Even bending down to look at sea shells in the water, I kept losing my balance, fortunately I have put the camera away. I was lucky to found some rare sea shell and some red coral. Highly prized and prohibited to take, while its alive. Luckily these are pieces that have been broke off by the ocean. This cute little Balinese boy, no older than four years old, was throwing the star fish back into the water, as some of them get stuck on dry sand when the water recess. I thought this was really neat, even that young, they respect nature. His mother didn’t seem to worry he was so far away alone in the water. The sun was coming down and I know what they mean by there is no sunset; you see the sun coming down only to a certain point, as the sunset is on the other side. I had to hurry back, I didn’t notice the sun going down and its coming down fast. Going out for diner it easy here, I just cross the street and you have many choices to pick from.
As promise, I will explain the cremation of Balinese, their last journey. They believe they only finished a cycle of life and will come back for another cycle. They believe, the human body is made of the five elements; earth, fire, air, water, and light. Cremation, allows the spirit of the decease to leave and to be removed from his now useless envelope.
Cremation here is a lavish affair. Impressive and spectacular, with an astronomical bill, only high rank people, like Brahma priests, master of rites and descendants of the Royal Family, who is no longer in power but highly respected by the Balinese, are entitled to individual cremation. For other Balinese the ceremony is collective. If someone dies they are buried into the cemetery and will be dug up for the collective cremation usually every three or 5 years at the maximum. A collective cremation, consist of people from the same village. The date of the ceremony is decided by the priest, for a favorable day accordingly to their calendar. Before the body is buried, a piece of metal is inserted in their mouth to ensure they will have solid and good teeth in their future life. They cover the eyes with mirrors for future bright eyes and the eyebrows with a leaf of intaran to be attractive in their future. Maybe that is the secret to why all Balinese look good, either it’s a women or men, they have a beauty that is hard to describe. Before the cremation, three weeks prior to the ceremony, all men of the village must dedicate two hours of their time on a daily basis to help with the preparation. The sarcophagus and the tower must be built. The sarcophagus have different shapes, according to their clans; bull, lion or fish. The sarcophagus will hold the decease and will be set on fire. If the body has not been buried, the body is placed in the tower. If it has already been buried they place a portrait or a photo of the decease on top of the tower and collect their remains at the graveyard. On the day set by the priest, the entire village dressed in ceremonial outfits, and walk to the ceremony. Women walk ahead, carrying their offerings on their heads followed by the empty sarcophagus, carried by men, and then the tower. The orchestra closes the procession playing and singing. Once there, if the cremation is collective all the towers and sarcophagus are placed next to each other. Each family unearths the remains of the body, wraps them in a white cloth and puts them down on a bamboo base until a drum gives the signal. At the signal the bodies are placed inside the sarcophagus along with offering and portraits of the dead sprinkle with holy water. A metal container is at the bottom, in order to collect the ashes. After they have collected the ashes, on the same day, they must carried and spread the ashes to the sea of to a river that ends up in the sea. As they believe water is the beginning to every life.
Twelve or Forty-two days after the cremation, depending of the region, a ceremony called Nyekhas is organized. During this ceremony they place a portrait of the decease in a new tower then burn it too. This way, their spirit, finally freed from their body, will take its place in the family temple, among the ancestors.
Cremation are like a playful riot, it is believed a show of grief disturbs the spirit of the deceased and prevents it from leaving the body. Arak, the national drink (palm liquor) flows freely at these events, fueling the bearers who must twist the funeral tower at each crossroads in order to shake of any recalcitrant demons. The tower and the sarcophagus is on the same bamboo structure they put the OGOH-OGOH on, like a grid, with a man in each square of the grid. The tower is also called a pyre, the higher the rank the higher the tower is. Strange as it seems it is in their cremation ceremony that Balinese have their greatest fun!
The cremation I witness was a beautiful bull. Balinese are very talented artist. Everything they touch is beautiful. They are master at intricate decorations.