Indonesia · Architectural Craft / Ritual Construction
Pembuatan Bade
The Bade is the multi-tiered ceremonial tower constructed for Balinese Hindu cremation ceremonies (Ngaben) — the most elaborate temporary ritual structure in any documented craft tradition. Rising 5–11 tiers (the number determined by the deceased's caste), the Bade is a bamboo and wood frame structure covered with painted paper, fabric, tinsel, flowers, and offering materials, topped by symbolic ornaments representing the cosmic mountain. It is carried by dozens of men through the village to the cremation site, then burned. It is made to be destroyed. The construction requires a team of specialist craftspeople — structural bamboo workers, paper decorators, tinsel and mirror workers, fabric dressers, and a master coordinator — working together for 1–4 weeks. No two Bade are identical; each is a unique collaborative creation that exists for a single day.
Risk level: Endangered · Covered under Balinese cultural heritage recognition; Ngaben ceremony inscribed in Indonesian national ICH list
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