The Balinese people are predominantly of the Malay race, descendants of the groups which traveled south east from China. Some may says that Bali were also populated by mixed between local & Aborigines from Australia, other ethnic strands may have come from India, Polynesia and Melanesia, and a diverse range of physical features from all those groups can be seen in Bali’s current people.
Traditional Balinese society is very communal, held together by collective responsibility. A person belongs to their family, clan, and caste. This makes it imperative that an individual must conform to traditional values and custom.
The caste system derives from Hindu traditions on Java dating back to long time ago, although it is not nearly as strict as the system in India. On Bali, caste determines roles in religious rituals and the form of language to be used in every social situation. Rituals and ceremonies are inseparable from daily life, marking each stage of their life cycle. The first ritual takes place before birth, at the third month of pregnancy, and continues until one is dead ceremony.
Balinese funeral is an amazing and exiting event. It is a joyful occasion celebrating the passage from this life to the next. The cremation represents the elimination of the body and the release of the soul so that it can be united with the supreme God.
The body is carried to the cremation ground in a high, multistoried tower made from bamboo, decorated with bright and colorful ornaments. The tower represents the cosmos. With the accompaniment of a sprinting gamelan orchestra (traditional music instruments) and the women bearing the offerings, the body is then taken to the cremation ground where it is transferred to a sarcophagus. The entire tower structure is set alight, and the ashes scattered to the sea
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