Hindu Cremation Ceremony

We spent Easter in Bali and one of the amazing things we did was attend a cremation ceremony. We were honored to be a part of a very wealthy man's funeral. Our guide explained that he was a business leader who could afford his own bright and brilliant tower (pictured left) for his casket to be carried down the streets in. Later his body was placed into a huge paper mache bull which represented how he would be carried to heaven and then the bull was lit on fire.

The thing that really touched me was that after his body was placed in the bull, the priest blessed it and family members went up and put small offerings into the bull with the man and each person thanked him for his life and what he had given. How different from our culture where if we go up it is more to say goodbye. From now on, I will remember to say a prayer of "Thank You" when someone dies to honor their life and the difference they made in the world.