The Balinese believe that each individual soul is reincarnated into many lifetimes, through numerous struggles and stages, until it achieves union with the divine. It is the duty of every Balinese Hindu to have children, in order to provide a vessel for the spirits of their ancestors to be reincarnated. A man does not become a full member of his Banjar (village council) until becomes a father. Children are loved and highly appreciated in Bali, especially male children, as they carry the blood line of the family and also take care of the burial and cremation of their parents. There are many rituals within the lifetime of the Balinese, because each life is regarded as a passage from one stage to another. Each ritual represents a critical stage.

Cremation of the dead (pengabenan, pelebon) is perhaps the most important, and often the most colorful, ritual in Balinese religion. A cremation is necessary to liberate the soul of the deceased so that it is free to make the passage into heaven and reincarnation. Due to the immense, costly and complicated preparations, cremation often does not occur until a long time after death of the person.

Usually, group cremations are held in order to share the expense and the labor involved. Between death and cremation the body is buried in the cemetery or, in the case of a wealthy person for whom a cremation can be arranged more quickly, the body lies in the family compound. During this time the soul of the deceased is thought to be agitated, longing for release.

An auspicious day for the cremation is chosen by a pedanda or priest after consulting the Balinese calendar. Preparation begins long before the appointed day. Each family builds a large tower of bamboo and paper, extravagantly painted according to the caste and wealth of the deceased, and supported on a large bamboo platform. A magnificent, brightly colored, life-size bull is also constructed of Kapok wood, bamboo, cloth and colored paper.

On the morning of the cremation relatives and friends of the deceased visit the house to play their last respect, and are richly entertained and fed by the family. At midday the body is whisked out of the house and carried, with the tower and bull, to the dead man's banjar.

This becomes a loud, noisy, boisterous procession, designed to confuse the soul of the deceased so that it will lose its way and not be able to return to the family compound, where it could cause mischief.

At the cremation ground the body is put into the belly of the bull. A priest officiates at the last rites and then the funeral pyre is lit. After the burning, another sacred procession begins, carrying the ashes to the sea or the local river where they are thrown to the wind. This represents the cleansing and disposal of the material body and is a cause for singing, laughing and celebration.

After sojourn in heaven the soul is believed to be reborn. The status of the reborn soul relates to the personal karma, or conduct, of the previous lives. In general, the Balinese feel that the soul is reborn within the same circle of blood relations.

This cycle of death and rebirth is the reason for the significance of the Balinese ancestors. Every Balinese knows that one day he will be an ancestor. Therefore, his long passage through the other world must be expedited and cared for if he is to return to his beloved homeland of Bali.

Such is a typical Balinese cremation ceremony, one of the local rites most frequented by tourists to the island. Contrary to popular belief, Balinese cremation rites are not strictly traditional.

They have their roots in the influence of the Hindu Javanese Majapahit empire over the island, in particular with the entry of Majapahit Hindu priest and missionary Dang Hyang Dwidjendra in the 17th century. In Bali's pre-Majapahit communities, known as Bali Mula, no such ceremonies existed. Rather, Bali Mula communities preferred a death rite known as mepasah, in which all or part of the body - depending on the age and cause of death of the deceased - was buried.

Traces of these pre-Majapahit rituals are still evident in practices of Bali Mula, or indigenous Balinese, communities of Tenganan in Karangasem.

Interestingly, however, the cremation ceremonies practised in the indigenous Balinese village of Trunyan have been subjected to Hindu Majapahit influences, namely those transmitted and promoted via the official national Hindu body, the Parisadha Dharma Indonesia.

Nevertheless, in Trunyan, as noted by James Danandjaja in his book Desa Trunyan, they don't burn the body, but bury it, at the bottom of Lake Batur.