Balinese life is marked with rites of passage from birth to death and beyond. When a child is born, he is believed to be the reincarnation of a released ancestor. The Balinese calendar system is quite elaborate and complex. This calendar system, called tika, is consulted whenever a child is born in order to closely determine which ancestor this child may be. For example, if a child is born on the day of Sri according to the eight-day week, the child may be a reincarnation of a woman from the mother’s side; however, should the child be born on the day of Indra, also in the eight-day week, this child may be the reincarnation of a man from the father’s side. Babies are not considered to be “human” until they are 210 days old at which time a ceremony is performed, along with the necessary offerings. Yet, for the first 42 days of the
