subject: Balinese Cycle of Life and Religious Events [print this page] Balinese Cycle of Life and Religious Events
The Balinese Hindu's respect for Existence and Death is significant. This can be seenbyvarious rituals they undertake.
For example you will find a lot of rituals for the un-born infant, right after the infant is born, adolescence, marriage, death, and even soon after death. After the seventh month of pregnancy is the time for the "housing of the soul" or Magedong-gedongan ceremony. On the fifth or the seventh day soon after a infant is created, a ceremony for the separation of the umbilical cord (Kepus Pungsed) is held. One month and 7 days soon after birth, a shrine is placed next to the infant's cot with flower and banana offering to the Dewa Kumara deity, who can protect the infant, right up until its first tooth appears.
At the age of the 3 months, the infant is allowed to contact the ground and is given a name. Each and every six months or 210 days, the infant can have an Otonan or a celebration of the infant's birth day according to the Balinese calendar in the Family temple. The Otonan ceremony is constantly held from birth right up until the infant reaches adulthood, marries and at times even right up until they die. The Mesangih or Metatah (a tooth filing ceremony) takes place during adolescence, at a time when sexual desire has attained its peak. The teeth symbolize the "animal" or the uncontrolled aspect of humans. Balinese Demons always have lengthy canine teeth. By filing the individual's teeth, six enemies can be eliminated; lust, greed, anger, intoxication, confusion and jealously.
The Balinese marriage ceremony, Manusa Yadnya, is preceded by an engagement or Mepadik during which the newlyweds romantically "elope" together. They are supported by a group of accomplices, who protect the newlyweds for the duration of their honeymoon. The marriage procession then follows in a much more formal manner.
The Ngaben (cremation ceremony) ritual is a reminder of cosmic symbolism of life. The casket tower is a representation of the cosmos; with the corpse in the middle, which symbolizes its position between the spiritual and the human worlds. The sarcophagus, in which the entire body is burned, is a vehicle to take the soul away. The ashes are collected and taken to the sea. After the Nyekah rite, the soul is afterwards enshrined in the family temple and the deceased is now an ancestor, right up until the following reincarnation.
