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It's Only a Skeleton! Indonesians Continue Air Burials Despite Virus Crisis

Published June 17th, 2020 - 05:19 GMT

For centuries Bali's Trunyanese people have left their dead to decompose in the open, the bodies placed in bamboo cages until only the skeletons remain.

It is a ritual they haven't given up -- even as the Covid-19 pandemic upends burial practices worldwide with religious leaders in protective gear, cemetary workers in hazmat suits, and mourners banned or unable to comfort each other because of social-distancing rules, according to AFP.

Across Indonesia funeral workers are now required to wear protective equipment and bodies are laid to rest quickly, all in a bid to prevent the spread of the deadly respiratory disease.

"The funeral process remains the same but now we have to wear masks," explained village head Wayan Arjuna.

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This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows the body of a deceased at a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. For centuries Bali's Trunyanese people have left their dead to decompose in the open air, the bodies placed in bamboo cages until only the skeletons remain -- a ritual they haven't given up -- even as the COVID-19 pandemic u

This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows the body of a deceased at a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. For centuries Bali's Trunyanese people have left their dead to decompose in the open air, the bodies placed in bamboo cages until only the skeletons remain -- a ritual they haven't given up -- even as the COVID-19 pandemic upends burial practices worldwide. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP

This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows skulls at a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. For centuries Bali's Trunyanese people have left their dead to decompose in the open air, the bodies placed in bamboo cages until only the skeletons remain -- a ritual they haven't given up -- even as the COVID-19 pandemic upends burial pra

This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows skulls at a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. For centuries Bali's Trunyanese people have left their dead to decompose in the open air, the bodies placed in bamboo cages until only the skeletons remain -- a ritual they haven't given up -- even as the COVID-19 pandemic upends burial practices worldwide. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP

For centuries Bali's Trunyanese people have left their dead to decompose in the open air, the bodies placed in bamboo cages until only the skeletons remain -- a ritual they haven't given up -- even as the COVID-19 pandemic upends burial practices worldwide. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP

For centuries Bali's Trunyanese people have left their dead to decompose in the open air, the bodies placed in bamboo cages until only the skeletons remain -- a ritual they haven't given up -- even as the COVID-19 pandemic upends burial practices worldwide. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP

This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows a photo of one of the deceased next to bamboo cages which cover bodies at a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP

This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows a photo of one of the deceased next to bamboo cages which cover bodies at a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP

For centuries Bali's Trunyanese people have left their dead to decompose in the open air, the bodies placed in bamboo cages until only the skeletons remain -- a ritual they haven't given up -- even as the COVID-19 pandemic upends burial practices worldwide. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP

For centuries Bali's Trunyanese people have left their dead to decompose in the open air, the bodies placed in bamboo cages until only the skeletons remain -- a ritual they haven't given up -- even as the COVID-19 pandemic upends burial practices worldwide. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP

This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows bamboo cages which cover bodies at a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP

This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows bamboo cages which cover bodies at a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP

This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows locals visiting a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP

This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows locals visiting a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP

This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows skulls on display with offerings at a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. For centuries Bali's Trunyanese people have left their dead to decompose in the open air, the bodies placed in bamboo cages until only the skeletons remain -- a ritual they haven't given up -- even as the COVID-19

This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows skulls on display with offerings at a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. For centuries Bali's Trunyanese people have left their dead to decompose in the open air, the bodies placed in bamboo cages until only the skeletons remain -- a ritual they haven't given up -- even as the COVID-19 pandemic upends burial practices worldwide. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP

This picture taken on February 20, 2020 show a Balinese temple on the shores of Lake Batur near the village of Trunyan, home to the Trunyanese - who fuse animist beliefs and traditional village customs with their own interpretation of Hinduism - in Bangli Regency on Indonesia's Bali island. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP

This picture taken on February 20, 2020 show a Balinese temple on the shores of Lake Batur near the village of Trunyan, home to the Trunyanese - who fuse animist beliefs and traditional village customs with their own interpretation of Hinduism - in Bangli Regency on Indonesia's Bali island. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP

This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows the body of a deceased at a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. For centuries Bali's Trunyanese people have left their dead to decompose in the open air, the bodies placed in bamboo cages until only the skeletons remain -- a ritual they haven't given up -- even as the COVID-19 pandemic u
This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows skulls at a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. For centuries Bali's Trunyanese people have left their dead to decompose in the open air, the bodies placed in bamboo cages until only the skeletons remain -- a ritual they haven't given up -- even as the COVID-19 pandemic upends burial pra
For centuries Bali's Trunyanese people have left their dead to decompose in the open air, the bodies placed in bamboo cages until only the skeletons remain -- a ritual they haven't given up -- even as the COVID-19 pandemic upends burial practices worldwide. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP
This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows a photo of one of the deceased next to bamboo cages which cover bodies at a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP
For centuries Bali's Trunyanese people have left their dead to decompose in the open air, the bodies placed in bamboo cages until only the skeletons remain -- a ritual they haven't given up -- even as the COVID-19 pandemic upends burial practices worldwide. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP
This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows bamboo cages which cover bodies at a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP
This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows locals visiting a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP
This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows skulls on display with offerings at a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. For centuries Bali's Trunyanese people have left their dead to decompose in the open air, the bodies placed in bamboo cages until only the skeletons remain -- a ritual they haven't given up -- even as the COVID-19
This picture taken on February 20, 2020 show a Balinese temple on the shores of Lake Batur near the village of Trunyan, home to the Trunyanese - who fuse animist beliefs and traditional village customs with their own interpretation of Hinduism - in Bangli Regency on Indonesia's Bali island. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP
This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows the body of a deceased at a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. For centuries Bali's Trunyanese people have left their dead to decompose in the open air, the bodies placed in bamboo cages until only the skeletons remain -- a ritual they haven't given up -- even as the COVID-19 pandemic u
This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows the body of a deceased at a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. For centuries Bali's Trunyanese people have left their dead to decompose in the open air, the bodies placed in bamboo cages until only the skeletons remain -- a ritual they haven't given up -- even as the COVID-19 pandemic upends burial practices worldwide. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP
This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows skulls at a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. For centuries Bali's Trunyanese people have left their dead to decompose in the open air, the bodies placed in bamboo cages until only the skeletons remain -- a ritual they haven't given up -- even as the COVID-19 pandemic upends burial pra
This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows skulls at a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. For centuries Bali's Trunyanese people have left their dead to decompose in the open air, the bodies placed in bamboo cages until only the skeletons remain -- a ritual they haven't given up -- even as the COVID-19 pandemic upends burial practices worldwide. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP
For centuries Bali's Trunyanese people have left their dead to decompose in the open air, the bodies placed in bamboo cages until only the skeletons remain -- a ritual they haven't given up -- even as the COVID-19 pandemic upends burial practices worldwide. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP
For centuries Bali's Trunyanese people have left their dead to decompose in the open air, the bodies placed in bamboo cages until only the skeletons remain -- a ritual they haven't given up -- even as the COVID-19 pandemic upends burial practices worldwide. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP
This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows a photo of one of the deceased next to bamboo cages which cover bodies at a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP
This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows a photo of one of the deceased next to bamboo cages which cover bodies at a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP
For centuries Bali's Trunyanese people have left their dead to decompose in the open air, the bodies placed in bamboo cages until only the skeletons remain -- a ritual they haven't given up -- even as the COVID-19 pandemic upends burial practices worldwide. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP
For centuries Bali's Trunyanese people have left their dead to decompose in the open air, the bodies placed in bamboo cages until only the skeletons remain -- a ritual they haven't given up -- even as the COVID-19 pandemic upends burial practices worldwide. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP
This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows bamboo cages which cover bodies at a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP
This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows bamboo cages which cover bodies at a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP
This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows locals visiting a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP
This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows locals visiting a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP
This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows skulls on display with offerings at a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. For centuries Bali's Trunyanese people have left their dead to decompose in the open air, the bodies placed in bamboo cages until only the skeletons remain -- a ritual they haven't given up -- even as the COVID-19
This picture taken on February 20, 2020 shows skulls on display with offerings at a cemetery where Bali's Trunyanese people hold open-air burials - before restrictions were implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus - near the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency, near Lake Batur on Bali island. For centuries Bali's Trunyanese people have left their dead to decompose in the open air, the bodies placed in bamboo cages until only the skeletons remain -- a ritual they haven't given up -- even as the COVID-19 pandemic upends burial practices worldwide. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP
This picture taken on February 20, 2020 show a Balinese temple on the shores of Lake Batur near the village of Trunyan, home to the Trunyanese - who fuse animist beliefs and traditional village customs with their own interpretation of Hinduism - in Bangli Regency on Indonesia's Bali island. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP
This picture taken on February 20, 2020 show a Balinese temple on the shores of Lake Batur near the village of Trunyan, home to the Trunyanese - who fuse animist beliefs and traditional village customs with their own interpretation of Hinduism - in Bangli Regency on Indonesia's Bali island. SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP

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