Cleansing ritual encourages and unites Balinese
Agencies, Kuta, Bali
One month after the bomb attack on Bali in October, those who had lost beloved members of their family and friends in the carnage turned up for a ritual on Friday to unite and console each other.
Deep sorrow shrouded almost every face at the bombsite ritual, aimed at releasing the souls of the dead and evicting evil from the resort island.
Pictures of the victims were displayed near the ruins of Sari Club, where religious leaders sprinkled holy water and burned incense.
The ceremony also involved the collection of dirt and rubble from the scene of the blast, which participants threw into the sea in a symbolic discarding of fear and anxiety.
Some of the relatives of the victims laid wreaths and prayed in front of the six-meter-wide, 50-centimeter-deep crater caused by the blast.
The relatives of about 50 Australian victims were flown to Bali at the Indonesian government's expense. Many wept as smoke from incense rose from the offerings and Balinese bells chimed softly.
Religious differences meant little to the Australian Christian families, the Indonesian Muslims or the Balinese Hindus.
A Muslim woman from East Java, her head veiled, clutched a framed picture of her husband. An Australian father wept for his daughter, her image in a framed picture around his neck.
David Dunn traveled from Australia's New South Wales state to pay homage to his son, Craig, who was partying in the popular Sari Club when a massive car-bomb exploded.
His wife, another son and daughter Kylie came with him. "I miss my brother. He was so much fun," Kylie, 10, wearing a bright dress and choking back tears, told Reuters.
Christie Mackie, widow of rugby player Paul Cronin from New South Wales, poured holy water on the scorched earth where Sari Club once stood.
"Near the wall the group sat, all football boys, 25 of them. Twenty-two came home but three boys were left here," she said.
In a corner of what was left of the Sari, a young Swedish woman and her German friend lit candles on the ground.
"I lost a few friends here. It was gracious of the Balinese to let me pray here, in my own way," said 23-year-old Swede Lina Ringberg as she struggled to hold back tears.
Made Warti, who lost her husband, Nyoman Merta, in the bombing, was almost speechless. Brimming with tears she only nodded her head when asked about her feelings during the ceremony.
"He said nothing when he left for work. At 1 a.m., after the blast, I desperately searched for his corpse, but to no avail. I never found him," Warti told The Jakarta Post, recalling that her husband had been a security guard at Sari Club, killed when the bomb ripped through the building.
At least 190 people, mostly foreigners, were killed and 300 others injured. Nearly 100 victims remain unaccounted for.
Warti said her husband had left no children or wealth to support her.
"Fortunately, my parents-in-law have allowed me to live with them." she said.
Similarly, Australian Tia Byron said she was still mourning her beloved daughter, Cloe Byron, who was among the fatalities of the tragedy.
"The bomb exploded when our family was about to return to Australia after enjoying a holiday full of fun and happiness," she recollected.
She said she could not stop crying when she recalled the loss of her daughter.
However, some of the relatives appeared to be tough enough to accept the harsh reality.
"Yes, I'm still feeling sad as both my twin children, Jane and Jenny, were among the victims," said June Corteen of Perth, Australia.
She asserted that she would not blame the Balinese for the tragedy. "The Balinese are lovely people," she said.
Corteen also said the ceremony helped her cope with the loss.
"I'm not a Hindu, but I do believe in the spirit. And, I believe my children's spirits were happy there," said Corteen.
U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Ralph Boyce told The Associated Press the ceremony commemorated "the innocent lives lost here" and served to reinforce "the struggle against this sort of mindless terrorism."