Monday, June 15, 2009


While most funeral ceremonies in Indonesia now follow the ways of modern religions (Islam, Christian, or Tao), some areas in Indonesia still practice traditional funeral customs. Here are some examples.JAVAIn Java, funerals involve several activities called selamatan (selamat in Bahasa Indonesia means happy or good luck).
The first selamatan is held on the day a member of a family dies. The next one is held on the third day, continues on the seventh day, fortieth day, the hundredth day, and the greatest one will be held on the thousandth day. The Javanese believe that on the thousandth day, the spirit of the dead person is already at the peace in the next world.
The Torajan people in South Sulawesi (Celebes) believe that the spirit of a dead person enters puya (the place for the dead). Dead people that go to puya must show his social status when he was alive. So the funeral ceremony for a person who had a high position in the community may look like a carnival. The person is not accepted as dead until the funeral is held. Before that, the corpse is considered to be a sick body, kept in a traditional house called Tongkonan. He is dressed and offered food.
The Balinese of Trunyan put the dead body under a tree after a mourning ceremony. It's not buried or burned, not even covered. The amazing fact is that although the body rots, it does not smell. The place where the dead is put is near a village in Lake Kintamani, the largest lake in Bali Island.
Manggarai people of Flores, in the southeast part of Indonesia, believe that the spirits of the dead, called poti, stay where they used to stay when they were alive, especially near the bed. After some time, the poti move to wells, big trees, or crossroads near the house. They watch their grandchildren, but don't disturb the living people. After five days, the poti will go to Mori Karaeng (the place for the dead). Manggarai people believe that everything in Mori Karaeng is opposite of that in the world of the living. People break dishes and glasses on the fifth day so that the poti will have the dishes and glasses in good condition at Mori Karaeng.INDONESIAN
There are a lot of legends and beliefs regarding ghosts in Indonesia. A few are listed below. TuyulThis ghost is that of an small boy. He is usually kept by a man and is given the task of stealing money. Even now some people in Indonesia believe they exist.
This ghost of a woman who died during her delivering process, has a hole in her stomach. She's wandering looking for her son, which means young men in the real world.
Leak is a legendary mystical process in Bali, where someone can transform themselves into another thing (animal, building, tree). In this modern age people can transform into a car, computer, or even an airplane. The person with the greatest skill can transform into Rangga, a type of demon.
This myth comes from Arabian culture. Jin is what we might call a genie. Some people in Indonesia still believe in the Jin. Folks, from businessmen to parliament members will buy a Jin to act as their protector.

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