Ceremonies continue whatever the situation in Bali

This morning on Jl. Seminyak across from Bintang supermarket, I saw Balinese people getting ready for an upacara (ceremony). A cremation tower was sitting ready to be carried down the street and the ladies were taking shade in the lace kebayas. Across from Bintang is a gang with a temple about 50 meters down. The body of the dead person will be carried inside the cremation tower to a lifesize model of a bull, likely to be located at the Pura Dalem (temple of the dead). There the body will be transfered to the bull and cremated. These events are tremendously important and expensive, with high costs for the hardware (tower, bull, offerings) and the software (prayers offered by a priest)

Many Balinese families will bury their relative for years, then dig them up and perform a cremation when they have the money. I look forward to seeing some big ceremonies again.

Walking Home I chatted briefly with an older member of the banjar. I said ‘Ba pak, who do I call if I find people in my house at 2am?’ He said there were many banjar members in my gang, and to call one of them. Easier said than done.