In Reply to: cremation ceremony posted by kathryn on Thursday, 2. September 1999 at 13:54 Bali Time:
Please excuse me Kathryn if I've offended either you or your friend Agung. Wasn't my intention.
I just wanted to put a bit of perspective on the numerous claims about this cremation or that cremation being the "biggest in Bali for 100 years" stuff.
The cremation I referred to in February, 1979, was very big...so big that the power lines had to be dropped in order for the "bade" (the tower) to get to the "pura dalem" (or next to it). The crowd was enormous and there were film crews from all over the world (I've seen a documentary about it all since, but can't recall the name of it, offhand). I remember nearly being crushed to death when the burning bade collapsed...you couldn't move for the number of people jammed up to each other and a mini panic ensued as people dodged the burning debris.
I guess that Balinese cremations should not be seen by us Westerners as some kind of competition as to who has the biggest and most expensive ones. Having said that, I think that many Balinese do see it a bit like that. The wealthiest dead usually have the biggest productions...some of the poorer people, who wait for years to be able to cremate their relatives, often hitch a ride, so to speak, with a suitable cremation. They dig up the bodies (if they're not wealthy enough to have had them embalmed in the first place) and Made's your uncle. Cremation ceremonies are very expensive affairs and some families spend years paying for the privilege.