Kitchen and Cremation Ceremony
Attending a cremation ceremony for Balinese is not just a matter showing taking a part in the cremation but also cleansing the mind and body soon after attending the cremation ceremony. When Balinese arrive at home after attending a cremation, they will go right to the kitchen and take a ladle of water then throw it upward so that the water gets on the kitchen roof while Balinese stand under the roof waiting the water to fall down. A second later that water falls out wetting their heads and faces. Sometimes, after that they also should enter the kitchen again; after this ritual they are allowed to enter other structures in the house compound.
Balinese adhere to the concept of balance and they keep all things to be balance. Balinese believe if they upset the balance it will affect to their life. Death is one among many things that can upset this balance, physically, emotionally and spiritually; an imbalance state considered to be unclean. Then, Balinese should recover the balance through purifying themselves. Attending ngaben means that they are in contact with the death and leading to imbalance state, and make them unclean. Furthermore, the graveyard is considered full with negative things. So when they are arrived from the graveyard after attending a cremation ceremony they have to purify themselves first before entering to prevent the imbalance and negative things from affecting their family and the house compound.
Balinese who know well about Balinese traditional architecture will construct the kitchen separately from other buildings. It also can be attached to other buildings but it never be constructed in side the other. This system enables Balinese to purify theirself from bad things after attending the funeral ceremony around the kitchen at the first place without entering other buildings.
In order to purify their self Balinese do not utilize living room and nor does the bedroom. Kitchen is a must Kitchen has two elements which can clean and purify spiritually those are fire and water We know that fire will destroy all things then water will clean all the stains and pollutants. It is logical when Balinese believe to these two elements power to purify their self.
Entering the kitchen and washing the face is a preventive action. Preventing the bad things come into the home since fire and water will destroy and cleanse the negative things beforehand.
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