Life-cycle events

Birth, marriage, and burial are the most significant life-cycle events for all Indonesians, regardless of religion. The traditions associated with these events arose in the distant past, and today these events are usually called 'family' events, or 'transitional' events – since, after all, the whole family is involved in them as a primary actor – as well as the priests and officials involved in the rituals, they are attended by many relatives, friends, and guests. Births, marriages, and funerals are the milestones in human life – they mark a person's change in social status, and their transition from one world to the next.