Balinese Beliefs and Rituals
Rites of Passage
From first glance, it would seem that the Balinese live a casual life, however it is quickly noted that “everything has its place, and that spatial orientation is crucial for every kind of activity.” 1 In Balinese belief, anything below (kelod [such as feet, south as in ocean]) carries negative connotations or evil. This also carries over into their belief of the spirit world in which anything above (north or skyward) is good and anything south (below ground) is evil. Even in sleep, they orient their heads (kaja) toward the north or east.
Balinese people have a strong belief in the afterlife and divide their cosmos (world-view) into three worlds. The released spirits of their ancestors, along with the gods, reside in the upper world (swah) while living humans reside in the middle world (bwah). The lower world, where the demons reside, is called bhur. They interpret their geographical location on earth by the same definitions with the mountains being swah, the plains are bwah and the ocean is bhur. The human body also follows this tripartite division with the head being swah, the torso is bwah and the legs and feet are bhur. 2 These belief distinctions become important when one endeavors to understand their rituals pertaining to life cycle.
Believing that their newborn children are the reincarnations of their deceased ancestors (but only if the ancestor’s spirit has been released), their rituals pertaining to life, death and renewal are best explored beginning with death. When a Balinese dies, it is believed that he must undergo certain rituals in order for his spirit to be released. The most important of the rituals is that of cremation, but it is so costly that many people either delay the ceremonies or go into massive debt to perform the rituals associated with the cremation. For the purpose of this essay, we will assume that the family will be undertaking this elaborate ritual in a timely fashion.
Before cremation can occur, the body must be prepared for burial. Special prayers and offerings are made to the spirits and deities in swah. The corpse is then buried for a period of time, however, burial for longer than three years is not encouraged, as it becomes “hot” and the spirit which has not yet been released will not stray far from the corpse nor become reincarnated. This spirit becomes a demon, residing in bhur and can only be released by the deities.
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On the appointed day of the cremation, the family (or if several families cannot afford the cremation ceremony and rituals, a group cremation will occur), will build a cremation tower, prepare elaborate offerings, and sponsor a shadow puppet play or masked dance. |
During the procession to the cremation grounds, the cremation tower is twirled so as to confuse the spirit of the deceased. This is to help ensure he won’t find his way back home and further ensures his spirit’s smooth passage into the next world (swah). Should the ceremony or the offerings contain an omission, a family member or spirit-medium will become possessed and told how to make things right. Once the cremation is completed, the ashes of the deceased are gathered up and holy water is sprinkled; the ashes are then cast into the sea.
A 12-day period follows after which another ritual is performed wherein the family members create effigies of the deceased, wrap them in shrouds, burn them and again cast the ashes to the sea. This burning is a final cleansing. It is only now, if all has been done correctly and according to the wishes of the spirit and the deities, that the deceased can be reincarnated. 3
When a child is born, he is believed to be the reincarnation of a released ancestor. The Balinese calendar system is quite elaborate and complex. This calendar system, called tika, is consulted whenever a child is born in order to closely determine which ancestor this child may be. For example, if a child is born on the day of Sri according to the eight-day week, the child may be a reincarnation of a woman from the mother’s side; however, should the child be born on the day of Indra, also in the eight-day week, this child may be the reincarnation of a man from the father’s side. 4
Babies are not considered to be “human” until they are 210 days old at which time a ceremony is performed, along with the necessary offerings. Yet, for the first 42 days of the baby’s life, both the mother and baby are considered to be in a state of spiritual impurity. A newborn’s feet are not permitted to touch earth and the child is very susceptible to witchcraft. At the end of this period, a small ritual, called Forty-two Days, is performed during which offerings are made to the child’s spirit and 108 vices which accompanied him on his journey into birth (not covered in this essay). It is at this time that his vices (bajang) are asked to depart. 5
During the 210 Days ritual, either a Brahman priest of a temple priest (depending on which the family can afford) will dedicate offerings to the Sun God and the Five Great Elements of Demons. Similar to Christian christenings or baptism, the child is touched by holy water. It is at this time that the child may now be allowed to have his feet touch the earth. 6 Once the parents are also purified with holy water and prayers, “they pick up their baby and carry him in a right-hand circle around a jar of water three times, representing the passage of birth, life, and death.” 7
Although quite elaborate from a “western” point of view, the Balinese aren’t very different from many cultures and religions in that they have strong ties to what we see as Heaven, Earth and Hell. Furthermore, they follow a strict structure in their rites of passage for children into adulthood: the separation, liminal and reincorporation phases, viewing life in a cyclical fashion.
Resources:
1. P. 22, The Balinese, J. Stephen Lansing, Harcourt Brace, 1994
2. P. 24, The Balinese, J. Stephen Lansing, Harcourt Brace, 1994
3. Film, Releasing the Spirits: A Village Cremation in Bali
by Linda Connor, Patsy Asch, and Timothy Asch
4. P. 29, The Balinese, J. Stephen Lansing, Harcourt Brace, 1994
5. P. 35, The Balinese, J. Stephen Lansing, Harcourt Brace, 1994
6. Film, National Geographic: Bali: Masterpiece of the Gods
7. P. 36, The Balinese, J. Stephen Lansing, Harcourt Brace, 1994
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