Bali Ngaben Ceremony
Hindu funerals in Bali are intensely suggestive ceremonies of great cultural and religious significance. Funerals are centred on cremation of the body requiring a complex apparatus and characterized by a large following known as ngaben or pelebon.
This practice is considered essential if the 5 elements making up the microcosm of the human body are to be returned to their original residence, the universe’s macrocosm. The five elements, Panca Maha Bhuta, are the earth (pertiwi), water (apah), fire (teja), air (bayu), and ether (akasa). Since the primordial dimension can only be attained through water and fire, the ashes are dispersed in the water of the sea or if the distance is too great, in a river. The funeral ceremony is generally led by a priest and punctuated by a lavish offering of gifts. For the occasion, a large bullock-shaped wooden structure is built and then entirely covered with white drapes if the deceased belongs to a priestly caste–in black.
Ngaben ceremony or ritual is sometimes called Gising to those who died, is considered very important, busy and lively, because with that of the family Ngaben can free the spirits of the deceased from his worldly ties to heaven, or transformed back into the world through rienkarnasi . Because of this ceremony takes effort, cost and length of time and large, this is often done so long after death. To bear the burden of cost, labor and others, now people often do the bulk of Ngaben / together. Bodies of the deceased are often buried before sufficient charge, but for some families could Ngaben ceremony can be performed quickly by storing the remains of people who have died at home, while waiting for a good time. During the period of storage in the house, the spirit of the dead became restless and always wanted freedom. Article: balitouring.com, indonesiacountry.com. Foto: indonesiacountry.com
