Today the Ngaben ceremony is taking place in Sanur Bali.
If you ever come to Bali, you might be familiar with the words ‘Ngaben Ceremony’. Or maybe you never came to Bali, but heard it from other people. Some of you may know what it is, but some of you may also don’t have any idea about it. Here we go to broaden your knowledge about Ngaben. So one day, if you come to Bali again, and by coincidence see the Ngaben Ceremony procession, you have something to call from your mind.
If you ever come to Bali, you might be familiar with the words ‘Ngaben Ceremony’. Or maybe you never came to Bali, but heard it from other people. Some of you may know what it is, but some of you may also don’t have any idea about it. Here we go to broaden your knowledge about Ngaben. So one day, if you come to Bali again, and by coincidence see the Ngaben Ceremony procession, you have something to call from your mind.
What is Ngaben Ceremony ?
Ngaben Ceremony is a cremation or corpse burning ritual ceremony held by Hindus in Bali. It’s a must to hold this ceremony for the dead Hindus people.
The purpose of this ceremony is sanctifying the spirit and separating the soul and the body by burning it. If the spirit is still trapped in the body with bones and flesh, it will never be able to reach the afterlife and it can not reincarnate to the world. The fire burning is believed to be the incarnation of Lord Brahma who burns all the defilements that stick to the body and spirit of the deceased.
There are other terms to say ‘Ngaben’ in Bali those are ‘Plebon’ and ‘Pretiwaan’, which have the same meaning and purpose. ‘Ngaben’ is a term to say cremation for ordinary people meanwhile ‘Plebon’ is a cremation ceremony for the royal family, and Pretiwaan is a cremation ceremony for the high priest in Bali. Like the other ceremonies in Bali, ‘Ngaben’ can be done in three levels; nista (modest), madya (in the middle between modest and prime), and utama (prime).
The types Of ngaben Ceremony Implemntation
There are three types of Ngaben implementation as follows:
Sawa Wedana
Sawa Sedana means Ngaben that is held 3-7 days after death without being buried first. The bodies of dead people are placed at their house or in a hospital before the Ngaben procession.
Asti Wedana
Asti Wedana is a Ngaben that is held several years after the bodies are buried. When Ngaben Ceremony is going to be held, the family will dig up the tomb and take the bones out. But in some cases, the family will only take a fist of grave soil as a symbol.
Swasta
Swasta is a Ngaben procession that is held when the bodies of dead people can’t be found both due to natural disasters or the bodies being overseas. Then the family will create a symbol made from sandalwood to substitute the unfound bodies.
