Due to the immense cost and the complicated preparations necessary, cremations often occur long after the death of the person. Usually, group cremation are held in order to share the expense and the labor revolved. Between death and cremation the body is buried in the cemetery, or, in the case of wealthy person whose family can arrange a cremation more quickly, the body lies in state in the family compound. During this time the soul of the deceased is thought to be agitated, longing for release. An auspicious day for the cremation is chosen by a pedanda, or priest, after conculting the Balinese calendar.
Preparations begin long before the appointed day.
Each family builds a large tower of bamboo and paper, extravagantly painted according to the caste and wealth of the deceased, on a large bamboo platform. A magnificent, brightly colored, life size bull is also constructed of bamboo and plaster. On the morning of the cremation relatives and friends of the deceased visit the house of pay their last respect, and are richly entertained and fed by the family. At midday the body is whisked out of the house and carried, with the tower and bull, to the graveyard by members of the dead man's banjar. This becomes a loud, noisy, boisterous procession, designed to confuse the soul of the deceased so that it wiil lose its way and not be able to return to the family compound, where it could cause mischief.