Calling The Soul Balinese

Calling-The-Soul-balinese
DiggingDue to the huge amount of time and expense involved, a cremation is usually postponed for months or even years. In the meantime the body of the deceased is temporarily buried. Family members first wash and groom the corpse, then wrap it in cloths and mats. A raw egg is rolled across it and smashed to the ground, removing all impurities. The body is then transported to the cemetery on a simple bier and buried without a casket.

Once a favorable day has been set, an army of ritual specialists, artists, priests, family members, friends and neighbors of all ages and sexes is mobilized - calling upon an encyclopedia of communal knowledge in the creation of offerings and artifacts of every imaginable shape, color and ingredient and the performance of a series of elaborate rites.

Ngaben Before cremation a "soul calling" ritual must be held at the grave. Offerings are made, and as the corpse cannot be returned to the house once it has been buried, the soul is taken home in a sangah urip effigy made of leaves and wood. Outside the house a paper and coconut shell lamp - a damar kurung is hung to guide the soul home.

The washing of the corpse is symbolically repeated on an adegan, a small board with a human figure drawn on it. The day before the cremation, a priest prays for favorable treatment of the soul in the afterlife. Various types of holy water are made and offerings are purified. The angenan, an eggshell lamp mounted on a decorated coconut, serves as a memorial.

*Get used to comment and share information. Thank you. :))

Related Posts :

0 Response to "Calling The Soul Balinese"

Post a Comment