Friday, May 7, 2010

A Balinese Funeral


 In a climate such as this and without refrigeration facilities funerals need to happen in a hurry. Most funerals occur the day after the death. The funeral I went to was of a young man (in his early 30s) who had been killed in a motorbike accident. There were well over 100 people there and and the coffin was on the front porch of the house. After the formal ceremony was finished the coffin was opened and everyone walked slowly past and paid their respects to the widow. Then the coffin was put on bamboo poles and carried on shoulders to the cemetery for burial. It was quite a sight.

The other cultural difference is that the Balinese take as many photos at the funeral as we would at a wedding so I was encouraged to take photos. It felt a bit strange and a couple of people thanked me for taking photos.



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