Ngaben Ceremony in Bali

Ngaben Ceremony in Bali - The culture of each region has its own differences. Starting from language, dance, to how to bury. One of the cultures in Bali that we have never heard of is Ngaben, the ceremony for delivering corpses by burning corpses.

For the Balinese Hindu community, the Ngaben ceremony has 3 main objectives. The first objective is a form of releasing the spirit or the Atma from worldly bonds. At a later stage, this release becomes a means of making it easier for the spirit to unite with God (Mokshatam Atmanam).

 

The next goal, is to return all the elements of Panca Maha Bhuta. What is Panca Maha Bhuta? None other than the 5 main elements that make up the gross human body. The five elements are solid elements such as bones, flesh, nails, whatever is the liquid element, the wood or air element, teja, the heat element, and akasa which is the ether element whose existence gives rise to cavities in the human body.

The final goal of the Ngaben ceremony by the Balinese Hindu community is as a symbol of the family. When carrying out the Ngaben ceremony, it is a sign that the family who has been abandoned, has been sincere about the departure of the body.

Types of Ngaben Ceremony in Bali

Ordinary people may only recognize the Ngaben ceremony in Bali as a corpse cremation ritual. In fact, Balinese people themselves have 5 types of Ngaben traditions that are distinguished based on the way they are carried out, namely:

1. Ngaben sawa wedana

This ceremony is carried out by involving the corpse which is still intact. This means that the body is not buried first and the execution is carried out between 3 and 7 days after the time of death. At special times, there is also the implementation of the Ngaben Sawa Wedana which is carried out one month after the death of the body.

During the waiting period, the body was placed in the customary hall area. To prevent spoilage, Balinese Hindu people use special ingredients. It's just that, recently, these special ingredients are often replaced with formaldehyde. During this waiting period, the corpse will be treated as if it were a living human. They will also think of it as someone sleeping or resting as usual.

2. Ngaben Asti Wedana

Ngaben asti wedana is a ceremony that involves a body that has been buried. Before the implementation, the ngagah ritual is carried out first, which is a method of taking the remaining bones from the corpse.

3. Private

This Ngaben tradition is carried out without involving the corpse in it. The implementation usually occurs because of things that are not possible, such as when a body is not found due to an accident, dies abroad, and so on.

As a substitute for the corpse, sandalwood was usually used which had been previously painted and filled with magical characters. The depiction and filling are representations of the gross body atma jenazah concerned.

4. Ngelungah

The tradition of the Ngaben Ngelungah ceremony is carried out for children who have not reached the date of their teeth.

5. Warak kruron

Ngaben warak kruron is specifically carried out for the bodies of babies who have miscarried.

Apart from having different types, the Ngaben ceremony in Bali is also carried out in a special manner. Moreover, for Balinese people, Ngaben is a religious ritual that is so important and should not be done carelessly.