Having traveled in Bali several times, I grew accustomed to photographing cremations. These are not usually the somber events which we Westerners would expect. Most Balinese practice a religion which mixes Hindu beliefs with Buddhism and animism. They feel that the cremation ceremony helps the dead move on from their previous lives. The cremation ritual, or Ngaben, combines celebration with sorrow in a multi-part ritual that can last up to two weeks. When a royal person or other person of means dies, vehicles transport tourists, for a small fee, to the events.
One day I learned about a large cremation so my traveling companion and I arranged to attend. Emerging from a mini-van along with the horde of other tourists, we followed the crowd toward the cremation field. Then I noticed some activity along a side street. Here I found a family gathering in the back yard of a small house. They eventually began preparing a body for burial, bathing and shrouding it in crisp white cloths. The deceased was a 22-year old man who had died a few days before in an accident while driving one of the ubiquitous Balinese motor bikes. Since a large cremation was already scheduled for that day, the family decided to cremate the young man at the same time. Once the body was prepared and installed in the Wadah, a traditional tower-like structure used to transport it, stricken friends of the young man reluctantly carried it, their waves of grief sometimes literally pushing them in the opposite direction. They struggled but eventually reached their destination, where the presiding priest lit the cremation fire.