![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakI actually did get lost among the crowd at one point, but found my aged parents again. 'Twas a good thing we all had our mobiles with us, too. Anyway, the procession was amazing, and since you're not likely to see another one when/if you visit Bali yourself - the last time they had a ceremony on this scale was about thirty years ago - I shall do my best to get some sense of the scale and movement across. As (I think) noted in an earlier entry re: Bat Cave temple, cremation ceremonies in general come in two sizes. If you're poor, then you and your village wait about five years, save the money (and keep the bodies underground) and then burn everyone in style and saved-up expense. If you're rich, you still have to wait a bit - for the holy men to tell you the perfect day - but it's a matter of weeks or months, not years. If you're the head of Balinese royalty, well. You get what's hidden under the pic spam below. Though it wasn't only the head of said family being escorted to the hereafter; the fifteenth of July was declared to be a perfect day for cremation in general, so all over Bali there were some, and in Udub, too, several families honored their dead this way along/ahead of the Royal procession. The whole ceremony is completely unlike a Christian burial in that there is an aura of joy and celebration in the air, everyone smiling and cheering, including the people carrying the very elaborate towers, animals and other effigies about to be burned, the heaviest of which weighed over 11 tons.
Firstly, a pre-march close-up at the main effigies. You'll see more of those soon. That's how they looked while standing on the ground. If you've watched my other pic spams, there were some pictures of them in the building stage back when we were in Udub.
Now, about those small scale family processions taking place shortly before the big one. Have some examples:
Close up on one of those chairs. Not for animal lovers.
My mother and self were afraid that chicken, which was alive as every other chicken was, was going to be burned alive as well, but we were told they were actually going to be cut free before the burning, symbolizing the spirit of the dead. Still. Poor chicken. You can see the photos of the dead people in question very well in the next shot:
Now, on to the big stuff. Evita Peron's funeral had nothing on this, I tell you. My father, who is usually a total Jacobin and can't resist muttering "get rid of 'em" whenever he's near nobility and /or royalty didn't mutter it once but like yours truly was busy taking pictures, which my mother teased him about. So: picture us standing on the side of the road among the hundreds of thousands, while the big march starts.
Next came the big effigies. Incidentally, the mourners up there on the bulls (and later the towers) were busy handing out/throwing plastic water bottles into the crowds and to their carriers, which was much appreciated by both. I'll tell you how many carriers were necessary for the biggest tower once it comes up. But remember: everything you see is now carried on the shoulders of people.
After bull the first, there was bull the second. The guy on it gives you a good idea of the sheer size.
On comes the first of the towers:
Along with the mourners (dressed in white, the Hindu colour of grieving) there were musicians on those effigies, dressed in lilac:
Close-up, mostly because I thought that kid looked adorable:
Next came this giganto version of an armchair, complete with dragon effigy, followed by tower the second:
Now, the second tower was where the dead body of the late head of the royal family (not king, because Bali doesn't have those anymore, which might account for my father's lack of Jacobin ire) was actually kept in. You'll get a closeup in a moment, but first, see the tower, and the white sash descending all the way from where the body, shrouded in white, was:
Close-up:
and from the other side:
According to our guide, near to thousand people were needed to carry this thing. This was it, as far as effigies were concerned. Time to show you just how many people were attending - wellllll, a small part of same, as they were following the effigies to the cemetary proper, where they would be burned.
We made it into the cemetary, but there you seriouly started to feel bereft of air and seriously concerned for your health. As there was no distance at all between the people and the effigies. Our guide said they'd back away themselves because of the heat the fire would develop, but, you know, would you pin your life and unburned skin on that. Observe the situation:
This was when we decided to call it quit, especially since it was another hour or so before the burnings started, and we had to cross half the island to get back to Jimbaran. On our way out, we came across the true heroes of this funeral, the guys carrying all that weight through the streets, on their way home as well:
And thus I leave you for another Balinese day...
Firstly, a pre-march close-up at the main effigies. You'll see more of those soon. That's how they looked while standing on the ground. If you've watched my other pic spams, there were some pictures of them in the building stage back when we were in Udub.
Now, about those small scale family processions taking place shortly before the big one. Have some examples:
Close up on one of those chairs. Not for animal lovers.
My mother and self were afraid that chicken, which was alive as every other chicken was, was going to be burned alive as well, but we were told they were actually going to be cut free before the burning, symbolizing the spirit of the dead. Still. Poor chicken. You can see the photos of the dead people in question very well in the next shot:
Now, on to the big stuff. Evita Peron's funeral had nothing on this, I tell you. My father, who is usually a total Jacobin and can't resist muttering "get rid of 'em" whenever he's near nobility and /or royalty didn't mutter it once but like yours truly was busy taking pictures, which my mother teased him about. So: picture us standing on the side of the road among the hundreds of thousands, while the big march starts.
Next came the big effigies. Incidentally, the mourners up there on the bulls (and later the towers) were busy handing out/throwing plastic water bottles into the crowds and to their carriers, which was much appreciated by both. I'll tell you how many carriers were necessary for the biggest tower once it comes up. But remember: everything you see is now carried on the shoulders of people.
After bull the first, there was bull the second. The guy on it gives you a good idea of the sheer size.
On comes the first of the towers:
Along with the mourners (dressed in white, the Hindu colour of grieving) there were musicians on those effigies, dressed in lilac:
Close-up, mostly because I thought that kid looked adorable:
Next came this giganto version of an armchair, complete with dragon effigy, followed by tower the second:
Now, the second tower was where the dead body of the late head of the royal family (not king, because Bali doesn't have those anymore, which might account for my father's lack of Jacobin ire) was actually kept in. You'll get a closeup in a moment, but first, see the tower, and the white sash descending all the way from where the body, shrouded in white, was:
Close-up:
and from the other side:
According to our guide, near to thousand people were needed to carry this thing. This was it, as far as effigies were concerned. Time to show you just how many people were attending - wellllll, a small part of same, as they were following the effigies to the cemetary proper, where they would be burned.
We made it into the cemetary, but there you seriouly started to feel bereft of air and seriously concerned for your health. As there was no distance at all between the people and the effigies. Our guide said they'd back away themselves because of the heat the fire would develop, but, you know, would you pin your life and unburned skin on that. Observe the situation:
This was when we decided to call it quit, especially since it was another hour or so before the burnings started, and we had to cross half the island to get back to Jimbaran. On our way out, we came across the true heroes of this funeral, the guys carrying all that weight through the streets, on their way home as well:
And thus I leave you for another Balinese day...
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-07-15 10:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-16 01:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-19 11:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-16 03:45 am (UTC)such wonderful photos, too.
i love the bull and the dragon.
no subject
Date: 2008-07-16 08:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-16 09:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-16 09:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-16 09:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-16 09:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-16 11:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-16 12:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-16 11:24 am (UTC)Thanx for the picspam...
no subject
Date: 2008-07-16 12:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-16 09:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-17 11:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-17 06:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-17 10:32 pm (UTC)