Greetings from Bali!
One night, I suddenly received a call from a Balinese man named Karu-chan.
Cal-chan: "The King's funeral is tomorrow afternoon. Do you want to come?" (fluent in Japanese)
Shopee: "What? Are you sure? I'll go!" (immediate reply)
⬆︎This is Cal-chan. He's a local tour guide who helped me out on my previous trip to Bali. We ran into each other at Bintang Supermarket at the end of October last year and had a great chat. (※He's a very friendly guy and you can ask him about anything, including transportation and tours. He's currently building his website, so if you're interested, please send him a message and I'll connect you.)
So, I went there.
The location was next to the World Heritage site of Tama Ayun Temple. We changed into formal attire at Karu-chan's house.
⬆︎ Cal-chan's wife helped me put on the sarong.
While we were waiting in front of the King's house, we heard "gamelan," a type of music unique to Bali, being played. Various instruments overlap with each other to create a unique and beautiful sound.
Cal-chan: "You can come in and have a look."
Let's go in! As you can see from the left side of the photo above, the grounds of the house are spacious and beautiful!
Suddenly, I noticed that food was being prepared buffet style.
As I was looking around, thinking, "Wow, there's food!", someone beckoned me over (I must have had the desire to eat written on my face).
So I took him up on his offer and he poured some into the bowls, little by little.
It looks like it's going to take a while from here on out, so this is a relief! Delicious!
"Thank you so much!"
"It's delicious!"
It was so carefree.
I later learned that it was a meal for people preparing for a funeral. Hahaha, I ate it all up!
Cal-chan said that it was just luck and laughed. I'm glad he's so generous.
Thank you for the delicious meal!
After finishing our meal, we waited outside again, and then a group of people dressed in black and white outfits came out from inside.
⬆︎They are warriors who protect the road so that people can travel safely to the other world. I couldn't take my eyes off their amazing outfits.
This black and white fabric is a common sight in Bali.
They are often wrapped around temple pillars or large banyan trees, and men wear them as sarongs during ceremonies. They are also said to ward off evil spirits.
When I learned that this fabric expresses the philosophy of Balinese Hinduism, my appreciation for the scenery I saw in Bali grew even greater.
....
There are two different things in the world that are also inseparable, such as good (represented by white) and evil (represented by black), day and night, etc.
The world exists in balance: good coexists with evil.
We live as humans and try not to fight with each other because of our shortcomings and differences. Instead, as friends, we complement each other's shortcomings and respect each other's strengths so that we can always be in peace and happiness.
That is the meaning of the black and white patterned fabrics that are an everyday sight in Bali.
....
Oh, what a taste!
After waiting for a while, a line of people came out carrying coffins.
The coffin was carried by many people on top of a gorgeous portable shrine, and from there we walked for about 15 minutes to the crematorium.
At the head of the procession was a giant papier-mâché cow.
Men ride on the bulls and are thrown back and forth, left and right, and also spun around at crossroads, as they march forward in a powerful procession.
⬆︎This is the size when a large adult male rides it.
In Balinese Hinduism, cows are the vehicles of the gods. In royal funerals, they are cremated along with the cows.
The procession, with Balinese musical instruments playing, was lively, bright, and overwhelming! The end of the procession was impossible to see, and the wide road was filled with people.
It was quite a grand parade.
⬆︎Everyone has such a great expression.
Funerals are held on a day that means "a new beginning" in the Balinese calendar. Weddings are also held on this day. So, on this day, I saw weddings being held along the way.
What a wonderful way to think of a funeral as the beginning of a new beginning.
The ceremony continues, bright and filled with smiles and lively music.
We arrived at the crematorium.
It is a very large square. The final dance, music and offering ceremony took place here. After various ceremonies, the body is transferred to a cow coffin and cremated.
The ashes will be scattered in a river or sea.
After that, they were offered as offerings to ancestors in the temples of each household, called "iedera," rather than in graves. The family prays every day .
⬆︎Sometimes they are on the second floor of a house. They are very impressive.
In Balinese Hinduism, when a person dies, their soul is reborn in the same house. When a baby is born to a relative, they go to a priest and ask, "Whose reincarnation is this?" and are told, "Oh, it's my grandfather's reincarnation!"
Hmm, that's interesting. So it's believed that reincarnation happens within families!
I was also taught that if you change your bad thoughts and feelings while you are alive and live with a good heart and good thoughts, you will have a good life when you are reborn again.
I see, so the time we are alive is a time to refine our souls.
Polish your soul for the future.
It really touches my heart...
By the way, it is believed that humans are reincarnated as humans (not animals or plants).
The funeral was held amidst a view of the sky, earth, and rice fields and jungle in the distance.
We felt that we were part of a never-ending cycle of life in the midst of nature. We felt like we had come into contact with the source of the generous warmth of the Balinese people.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Cal-chan, the royal family, and everyone for sharing this precious opportunity with me.
(Kurisawa)
