A Long, but Amazing Day

Carrying offerings

"When will the procession get started?" we asked a bystander after standing in the hot sun and excitement for two hours.  "When the electric power goes out," she replied.  "They need to cut the power lines so that the bade (the large tower that holds the dead body) and the giant bull can get down the street."   Sure enough, when the power went out around noon, things started happening.  And we saw a lot of downed power lines along the procession route.

Blessings for family members

We had walked nearly two miles in sweltering heat to the main temple and got a good location to just take in the whole experience.  Many others had come from much greater distances.

Coming to pay their respects

It was a joyful festival, rich with color and gamelon music.  Women hawking ceremonial saris, generals from Jakarta taking selfies, countless extended family members, tourists, and thousands of Indonesians were all there. This was all in honor of a

Going "native"

former Bali king who also happened to be a civil engineer.  He had designed the Asian version of freeway overpasses, which are now in use all over Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines.  Although he was Hindu, dignitaries from all over--including many Muslims--came to pay their respects an actively participate in the ceremony.  And like American weddings, all the guests were held hostage by the photographers.  The power lines couldn't be cut until all the offical photos were taken.

One of many offical photos

Bring the body to  the top of the tower

It was some bull!

It passed us in a flash (mob)

When things finally started happening, the body was taken to the top of the tower.  It weighed over 6,000 pounds and was carried by 200 pall bearers, who were relieved by 200 more about a half mile later.  The a gamelan band led the way, followed by the big bull, then the tower. Unlike a typical parade, this happened at a very brisk pace, and spectators could be part of the parade and get right up and personal with it.  The police (most of whom were armed with nothing but a hunting knife) were too busy taking photos, and trying to memorialize this moment of history just like the rest of us were doing.  This short video clip gives you an idea of what it was like.

Queen Kathy waving to the bystanders

Here it comes!  Be sure to see the video!

Words  can't describe our joy and excitement about being included (with thousands of other foreigners) in this special day. We hadn't had so much fun since the spray foam and water fights in Cusco, Peru last March.  Some of the energy came from the mesmerizing and rhythmic gamelan music.  (Please listen to this YouTube link for even a few seconds, or go to our YouTube channel  later to listen and see a couple of the one minute clips of the whole day.)  

At another temple, where the pyre is located, the pall bearers celebrate.  We thought we were going to be crushed in the stampede as they left,  but it was yet another adventurous twist to our day.  This very short video captures the crush and the energy.

At the pyer the body is placed inside the bull, which is ignited with gas burners.  The ashes are then spread on the sea later in the evening.  (Note, there were two bulls--so it was a double burner.  The other person was a relative, but of lesser stature, hence, the smaller bull.) The tower is also burned.

A son says a prayer

Offerings and preparations for the cremations.

Wilting away, sunburned, and dehydrated we waited forever for the cremation to commence.  Bring on the matches!  But yet to come were the military honors, the 8-gun salute, and the eulogy (almost as long as the procession) .  Next came the generals and government officials ('pegawais' in Indonesian).  We had spent half of our Peace Corps days in Malaysia trying to stay awake every time a pegawai took the podium, so we knew that we were a long way from ignition.  Reluctantly, but exhausted after seven hours, we headed back to our village.  We think we were home long before the first flicker of flames started.

It would have been spectacular to witness, and missing it--being so near, yet so far--is already our big regret of this trip so far. But we're glad we got to experience what we did.  It truly was an long, but amazing day!