The Balinese believe in the eternal
cycle of reincarnation and view their life on Earth as just one
stage in their continued existence. As part of this belief, a
person’s life is marked by rites of passages
that are celebrated by the whole family.
The first important ritual is performed sixth
months during pregnancy (magedong gedongan ceremony). However
the first noted ritual is done at birth when the baby’s
placenta is buried in coconut shell near the entrance to the family
house. Babies are regarded as being the reincarnation of the ancestors.
They are therefore thought of as being holy and are treated with
reverence. At puberty the tooth-filing ceremony takes place, although
this expensive custom is often delayed until marriage to save
money.
Marriage rituals in Bali are unique and often
involve the entire families of the bride and groom in elaborate
mock drama.
The final and most important cycle of life is
the cremation. Cremation rituals are seen as joyous occasions
as they release the soul from the Earth so it may start its journey
to heaven before being reborn. The mukur ceremony is done 40 days
after a cremation to mark the entry of the person into heaven.
A Three day odalan festival takes place in a
village every 210 days on the anniversary of the village temple’s
dedication. During the island-wide festival of Galungan, ancestors
are thought to descend from the heaven and enter the world. On
the 10th day, Kuningan, the spirits ascend back to Heaven. Nyepi,
the new year of the Caka calendar is celebrated in March.
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