Ngaben

Balinese has lots of sacred ceremonies along their life. The last ceremony for Balinese is the ceremony when they passed away that is well-known as Ngaben or the Cremation Ceremony. It performs to send the soul of the dead through the transition to his next life, and is conducted as the final respect from family & society to the death. Balinese believe that there will be life after death. Through the cremation, the Late’s soul will be returned to 5 (five) elements in life, Panca Maha Buta: earth, air, fire, water, and ether so the soul can be reborn and come to Moksa or the freedom from the bonds of earthy.

There are several rituals before the cremation. The deceased should be bathed as the symbol of purification, and then it’s dressed up with Balinese traditional outfit. The body of the deceased will be placed at Bale Delod, as if he were sleeping, and the family will continue to treat him as if he were still alive yet sleeping. No tears are shed, for he is only gone temporarily and he will reincarnate into the family.

The Priests determine the proper day for the ceremony. On the day of the ceremony, the body of the deceased is placed inside a coffin called as Bade. The cremation process begins after the mid day. People, youngster usually, will carry the Bade which is like temple structure made of paper and light wood, to village cemetery. Bade will be rotated 3 times in every intersection in order to confuse the soul so it will not come back home yet go to eternal life. Arriving the cemetery, the dead is then placed inside a sarcophagus in the form of a buffalo (called Lembu). The climax of Ngaben is the burning of the Lembu, using fire originating from a holy source. After the cremation, the ash from the dead is poured to ocean by family and relatives.

The luxurious of Ngaben determine the social status of the death. The wealthier the family the more luxury Ngaben will be. Ngaben for royal families and the common people are also different in terms of the opulence of the ceremony.

Published on http://www.tjendanavillas.com/news.html