Families Hold Mass Cremation of 117 Bodies in Bali
In a shocking and extremely rare incident reported from Indonesia, 117 dead bodies are cremated at once to save money.
In a shocking and extremely rare incident reported from Indonesia, Hundreds of people wearing white shirts and traditional clothes gathered along the coast of Padangbai port on the Indonesian resort island of Bali for a mass cremation ceremony taking place in their village for the first time.Families in Padangbai were seen creating 117 dead bodies. They were previously buried in a public cemetery, which is not too far from the cremation site.
Cremation is usually held by individual families, but the mass ceremony reduces the burden of cost. However, shockingly some families waited for more than five years for the cremation. The Hindu rites on Friday 29th of July started in the morning as the residents paraded to the sea along with “bade", which is a 6-meter (20-foot) wooden tower carrying bodies and a coffin in the shape of Gajah Mina, an elephant-headed fish. The relatives who took part in the ritual also brought photos of their dead family members and put them inside the bade.
As the ritual made its way to a free-up space around the cemetery, the relatives took the bones from the base and put them into the coffin before they were cremated. The Balinese Hindus believe cremation releases the soul of the dead so they can start the next cycle of life.
“We are doing the mass cremation, so we can do it together,” said Eka Primawata, the secretary of Karangasem cultural village. “With this mass cremation, this cultural village becomes more harmonious.”
However, soon after the news of around 117 people being cremated at once where families of few even waited for 5 years just to save a few pennies on the cremation cost shocked everyone.
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