A Special Ceremony in Bali

Bali has a unique culture that holds a fascination to many. It is a very sacred island with ornate temples scattered through the villages and out into the open rice fields.

Canang Sari

Bali is full of spiritual energy and the Balinese consider themselves blessed. This is reinforced by their strength of their religion. The main expression of their religion is through rituals where women spend hours weaving palms and leaves, making ornate baskets, called Canang Sari. You will find these offerings containing symbolic food and beautiful flowers everywhere. They are placed in the temples, in the streets, outside shops, even in cars.

The offerings are made with simple humility and offered to the Gods three times a day. This is done in a ritual of giving back what has been given by the Gods. This is done by lighting incense, praying, sprinkling holy water and doing a Mudra, a sacred movement with the hands. Based on gratitude to the richness of life, the offerings are said to calm the spirits and bring prosperity and good health to the families.

Once you get out away from the din and commotion of Kuta you will be calmed by the serene, spiritual tones and the other main expression of Balinese religion, the many rituals and processions.

Temple tour with a difference

Our driver, Komang took us on a temple tour, but this wasn’t one of those ‘made for tourist’ temple tours. You know the kind, made famous by means of Eat, Love, Pray where you are taken for an audience with ‘Ketut’ to receive amazing insights. True, we were in air-conditioned comfort of a private vehicle, escorted by a driver, but this was a very spontaneous tour.

We had mentioned to Komang we wanted to visit some temples, meet some people, hear their stories, etc. Komang was happy to oblige and keen for us to get a feel for the atmosphere, customs and religion of his people.

Next thing we know, we’d been invited to a funeral. Well it wasn’t actually a funeral, but a ceremony called Nyekah. Nyekah is a ritual that acknowledges the respect and honour of their deceased family member. Death in Balinese tradition is a series of complex rituals, and the process of soul evolution from the day the person has passed, up to the eleventh day when their spirit departs for the realm of judgement, known as Yamaloka.

The purpose of Nyekah is to purify and elevate the spirit of a dead person to the highest level so they can then be installed in the family temple.

To attend the ceremony we had to comply with the dress code. A sarong and sash for myself and sarong, sash and udeng for Steve. An udeng is the headdress of folded cloth men wear on their heads. The women wear white or colourful kebaya (upper garment) paired with a batik kamben which is very similar to a sarong, a sash tied around their waist and flowers in their hair. The men wear white shirts, batik or songket kamben with an overlay called the saput.

It is also important for women during their ‘moon cycle’ not to enter the temples.

As we were led to the Pura Goa Lawah, or Bat Cave, Komang explained the ceremony. It was a post cremation ceremony, followed by a procession from the temple to the sea. At the sea, they scattered the ashes. This is offering the person’s ashes to the Gods to release the soul from earth to enter heaven. This final ritual allows the soul to become a divine ancestor, protecting the family’s destiny here on earth.

These ceremonies are performed sometimes days or weeks after the actual cremation. We learned when someone dies, their spirit stays with the body, so these ceremonies are held to detach the soul and return it to God.

With over 20,000 temples in Bali, religious festivals and ceremonies are immeasurable. In Bali there is no day without a ceremony somewhere, be it a temple ceremony, a ceremony in a house, a wedding, a cremation or another life cycle ceremony. Every ceremony incorporates many colorful offerings and decorations in the temple or the house.

There are regularly scheduled events to celebrate temple dedications, some lasting for three days. Other major celebrations continue for a week to ten days. Villages prepare weeks in advance, cleaning and decorating temples, preparing large ornate offerings, called Gebogan and preparing food to provide to the priest and musicians. Dressed in their finest attire, worshippers march to the temples carrying Gebogan offerings of food and fruits in the shape of pyramids on their heads. The Gods are entertained for days with prayer, music and dance.

Bali is a blend of traditional and unconventional, peaceful and chaotic, sacred and commercialism, a real fascination. The Balinese are very gentle, humble and spiritual people. Whether visiting volcanoes, rice terraces or temples, you’ll see no division between their religious and material world. To the Balinese, spectacular and colourful ceremonies, processions and offerings are all meaningless without an appreciation of Balinese religion.

The Balinese have such an unassuming nature. We didn’t just see this day purely as a photo opportunity and made sure to ask before we took any photos. For a visitor, to be invited to such an occasion was not only an honour, but also timely. Had we been in Perth on that day it would have been the funeral of my cousin. To witness these proceedings was a perfect time for me to reflect and pay respect to a family member of my own.

Have you experienced any cultural ceremonies whilst travelling? We’d love to hear your comments below.

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