Balinese Cycle of Life and Religious Events

Balinese Cycle of Life and Religious Events

Article by Brendon Mills

The Balinese Hindu’s respect for Life and Death is significant. This can be viewed by a variety of rituals these folks undertake. For example you can discover many rituals for the un-born infant, after the infant is born, adolescence, marriage, death, and even soon after death.Right after the seventh calendar month of being pregnant 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 born, a ceremony for the separation of the umbilical cord (Kepus Pungsed) is held. One calendar 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 will defend the infant, right up until its first tooth appears.At the age of the 3 months, the infant is permitted to contact the ground and is given a name. Each and every six months or 210 days, the infant will have an Otonan or a celebration of the infant’s birth day in accordance 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) will take place during adolescence, at a time when sexual desire has attained its peak. The teeth symbolize the “animal” or the uncontrolled facet of humans. Balinese Demons constantly have long canine teeth. By filing the man or woman’s teeth, six enemies will 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 bride and groom romantically “elope” together. They are supported by a group of accomplices, who defend the bride and groom for the duration of their honeymoon. The marriage procession then follows in a 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, symbolizing its place between the spiritual and the human worlds. The sarcophagus, in which the body is burned, is a vehicle to take the soul away. The ashes are collected and taken to the sea. Right 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.This information is provided by The Elysian Bali Villas. “Bali is our Life” Enjoy your private luxury Bali villa rental with us.

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This information is provided by The Elysian Bali Villa Rental. “Bali is our Life” Enjoy your luxury private Bali villa accommodation with us.