NGABEN BALINESE DEATH CEREMONY
September 28, 2017
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NGABEN, BALINESE DEATH CEREMONY
Welcome back Indonesia lovers !! Have you ever imagined being burned after your
death and turn into ash? You know, just like a
vampire hit by the sunshine. Puff!! Well, that sounds a little bit scary,
doesn’t it? But not for Hindu people in Bali.
As a tourist destination island, the attraction of Bali
is not only its various tourism objects.
A variety of unique cultures, traditions and religious
ceremonies in Bali also
become interesting things for both domestic tourists and foreign tourists.
Source Image: morningnewsusa.com
One of the religious ceremonies in Bali is Ngaben. Ngaben is a funeral ceremony
in Balinese society done by cremation. According
to Hindu teachings, the spirit is immortal, after dwelling in the human body,
when man is declared dead, the spirit will be reincarnated.
But first, the spirit will pass through a phase in
nirvana to be sanctified; according to the record of life on earth (karma).
Ngaben is the purification process of the spirit of past sins. Therefore, the Balinese do not
regard death as the end of everything, death is part of a new phase of life.
There are two types of caste in Balinese society. They
are high caste and low caste. The caste differences that have been ingrained
from their ancestors will be very clearly visible in Ngaben ceremony. If one
comes from a rich family and high caste, then Ngaben process will be done
massively. In contrary, if one comes from ordinary people, then Ngaben ceremony
will be very simple.
He obvious contrast between the high class and the
lower class is the burning place of corpses. The richer and upper class family’s
burning place is certainly higher than the lower class. An artificial animal of
a cow is the place of corpses for the upper classes and then the corpse is inserted
into the body of the cow before it is burned. For people who come from lower
classes, they’re only wrapped in white cloth and then placed on a pile of
banana stems.
Read : KUTA BEACH IS AMAZING PLACE
Read : KUTA BEACH IS AMAZING PLACE
The selection of cow symbol as a container of corpses
before being burned is not without reason. Hindus believe that cattle (cows)
are sacred animals. That’s why cows are kept in Bali (it means they’re not food.
hehe). So, if you’re visiting Bali, it will be difficult to find beefs.
The combustion process is carried out using a high-pressure
gas shot capable of burning wood quickly. Usually, in the midst of burning corpse,
residents and family will pray around the burning place. There also will be music
during this combustion process. When it is done, the ashes of the burned corpses
will be thrown into the open seas. One of the beaches usually used to throw
away the ashes is Sanur Beach.
When Ngaben Ceremony?
It is not difficult to find Ngaben ceremony in Bali. The
event is held almost every week. Usually it is held in public places with open
space. Ngaben
ceremony is a very complicated ritual and it costs a lot of money. It could
costs million hundred Rupiah. So it is typical to burn two or more corpses at a
time.
For those of you who can’t bear to see such ceremony
should not be too close to the corpse. The burned figure might haunt you at
night! – lol-
Because someone says “It's like a horror movie on TV!”