Childhood: Older children generally are responsible for the care of the younger ones. After the initial ceremonies of babyhood, there are ceremonies to mark children moving into childhood and also puberty, where children have their teeth filed. Marriage: All Balinese people expect to marry and raise a family. Marriage generally occurs at a relatively young age. These days, marriages are generally not arranged, but couples must follow strict rules when marrying between the castes.
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Death and Cremation: This final ceremony is the biggest Balinese ceremony of all. This is a spectacular, colourful, noisy and exciting event. It can sometimes take years to organise, so the body is given a temporary burial until a suitable day is selected for the cremation. The body is carried to a high tower made of bamboo, paper, string, tinsel, silk, cloth, mirrors, flowers and anything else considered to be bright and colourful. The size of the tower is dependent upon the importance of the dead person. Men carry the tower, taking precautions along the way so that the dead person’s spirit does not find its way home again. They do this by shaking the tower, running around in circles, spinning it around and throwing water at it. A gamelan travels alongside the tower to provide loud and exciting music for the journey. At the site for the cremation, the body is transferred into a sarcophagus, which can be in the shape of a bull, winged lion or a type of elephant fish. The whole lot is then set alight.
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Men and Women: Certain tasks are only handled by women, while others can only be done by men. This differentiation also occurs in social and leisure activities. For example, both men and women are able to dance, but only men are allowed to play the gamelan.
© R. I . C.Publ i cat i ons •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• Introductory Discussion What is a belief? What is a life stage?
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Activity – Pages 81 – 82
What life stage are you in? How are life stages celebrated by your family?
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What are some of your beliefs?
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Ask the students to read the text on page 80 of the student workbook. Ask them what the Balinese people do in their everyday lives to please their gods. Do they think they could follow the same approach? How do they think it would affect them and the people around them? Students can try following this approach for one week. At the end of that time, report back to the class any positive or negative effects they have experienced. Students can complete the activities on pages 81 and 82. Answers 1. (a) fruit; rice; flowers (b) To make the gods happy. 2. Think good thoughts; speak with honesty; and do good deeds. 3. Dance and drama – through morality plays and epic poetry, shadow puppet plays or operas. 4. To please the gods, which will hopefully ensure a plentiful harvest.
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