Fire Burial - Bali

     Hye, so here we meet again at this fifth entry. I am about to share about one of the unique burials that I found interesting in Bali which is Fire Burial. This type of burial requires the villagers to follow some rules and rituals in order to make this ceremony as a success. The Balinese commonly believed that through the body cremation, the soul can finally be released from the temporary vessel to reach the afterlife. When someone has died, his or her body must go through a burning session for the soul to return to its five components known as the panca maha bhita (earth,wind,fire,water and ether) to fasten the speed of it to the afterlife.

     With following the right rituals, the soul is believed to finally freed from the body to experience a reborn or completely reach moksa, the existence in the higher kingdom of the world above. The cremations in Bali are luxurious and quite opulent. People with higher status require more preparations and decorations for this magnificent ceremony. According to this reason, the dead body is buried for quite a some time before the family members or community can afford to collect adequate funds to do this ceremony.

The colourful bull is prepared during the cremation - courtesy of Google

The look of the bull after being burnt - courtesy of Google

     The soul of the dead body that is believed wander around will be recalled to rejoin the body a few days before the day of the fire burial ceremony. It is brought to the house to be bathed over and over again, groomed and attended the revival served by relatives. The purification of the soul happens when the ashes are placed in the sea. This means that the soul is fully released. The Balinese believe that this soul will reborn in another body in the future.

After the cremation, the ashes will be placed in the sea in order to get purification of soul - courtesy of Google

     Don't you feel this bizarre tradition is awesome? Honestly, I am feeling that way as I have never seen something like this before. I never know that Balinese will complete their burial tradition in such way. I feel impressed because through this kind of tradition, it shows that Balinese always work as a team and it has strengthen their bond. So I guess that's all for this entry. Happy reading guys!