BALI CULTURE

NGABEN, BALI CREMATION CEREMONY

Balinese Religion is based on respect for and worship of God and ancestor. It is believed that after death, the body must be dissolved and returned to its original elements. Ngaben, the Balinese word for cremation is a purification rite which frees the spirit from its temporary earthly house and facilitates its journey to its next existence.

The Lembu where the body placed and cremated.

It is a custom and part of a tradition in Bali when someone dies, the whole villager (where one was lives) will help with the preparation for the cremation. The dead body is laid out in a special part of the house to be bathed and prepared. The night before the cremation, holy water will be collected from some main temple and used in preparation of the body and during the cremation. The entire villager (but especially for family and relatives) will participate on the day of the cremation ceremony. Before the body cremated at the cemetary, it will be placed into a wadah, after at the cemetary, and then they body of the deceased is placed inside a coffin which is then placed inside a form of a lembu (cow) which believes to be the vehicle of the spirits, made of paper and light wood. It will be carried to the village cremation site (usually in the village cemetery) in a procession. The ultimate procession is to burn the Wadah, using fire from a holy source.

When all the procession has done the ashes are placed in the sea, and it is the final separation of the soul from the body.

Bali's Kecak Dance

0 comments Posted by 3k085 at 7:50 AM

Of all the dances seen on Bali today, the Kecak dance is perhaps the most dramatic. Taken from the Hindu epic Ramayana, the dance tells the story of Prince Rama and his rescue of Princess Sita, who has been kidnapped by the evil King of Lanka. Unlike other dances, there is no gamelan orchestra accompanying it. Instead, a troupe of over 150 bare-chested men serve as the chorus, making a wondrous cacophany of synchronized "chak-achak-achak" clicking sounds while swaying their bodies and waving their hands.

JANGER DANCES

0 comments Posted by 3k085 at 7:45 AM

The flute begins an eerie tune, and faraway voices chant a strange song that flows from a loud melody to a nearly inaudible high pitch. Two girl singers appear wearing splendid, floral crowns with multi-coiored spikes. They advance, allowing another pair to enter, until twelve girls have filed on stage. Slowly, they kneel opposite each other, cocking their heads and darting their eyes to accent the rhythm of the orchestra.

As the chanting continues, txkeive young men silently repeat the girls' entrance. In contrast to feminine delicacy, their movements are deliberate and strong. All wear painted moustaches and bear the self assured look of a glitk courtier. Suddenly, the male formation breaks into frenzied activity of twists, jerks and lunges -all in the tight syncopation of a military drill, with brisk shouts of "O beh 1 0 beh 1 Dinga dinga ding janger-ger!" Instantly, the,,shock wave ceases, the men freeze in their positions, and the lonely flute carries the dance Gack to the soft sways and chanting of the girls

The juxtaposition of the subdued motions of the girls against the dynamic thrusts of the men, the harmonious feminine song against the jagged yells of male voices, makes Janger an artful composition of dance, music and chorus. A folk dance introduced to the island in the thirties, Janger also has its origin in the Sanghyang trance ceremony, in which the women chant the Sanghyang song and the men alternate with the gruff sounds of the Kecak. When the dance first came into existence, it spread through the banjars like fire. Every village had to have a Janger group, and the dance became a popular social event between young boys and girls. Within a few years Janger lost its paramount place among the dances, and was replaced in popularity by the Arja opera. Now, Drama Gong, a form of opera which originated only in the mid-60s, is in vogue; which only goes to show innovation is a star attraction among the Balinese and the liveliness of their theatre is in the constant revival of old forms in new styles.