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TRADITIONS | BALINESE CREMATION | DEATH AND DYING RITUALS
How About This As a Way to Attend Your Husband’s Cremation?
A photo journey of a moving experience at a Balinese ceremony
Warning: Some photographs may be disturbing or uncomfortable to view.
Introduction: I was honored to be invited to a local Balinese family cremation ceremony. Excited to experience the seminal Balinese tradition, it was also paramount that I be respectful and non-intrusive.
I received approval from the family to take photographs and publish the articles. Others in attendance were also taking photos, including the decedent’s grandchildren.
Local traditions vary from country to country. Photographing pyres and cremations in India was strictly forbidden whereas in Nepal it was allowed. The actual cremation itself held on Sanur Beach was open to the public.
Balinese Cremation
In June of this year, I had the immense privilege of attending a Ngaben, the Balinese cremation ceremony. It was for my landlord’s 84-year-old father, I Made Gorna. As the sole foreigner present, I felt especially fortunate.
