10 Intriguing Burial Customs Around The Globe

Did you know that centuries ago, Indians bury widows alive with their dead husbands?

Did you know that ancient Egyptians and Greeks give instructions to the dead on how to navigate the afterlife?

Did you know that in the old days of Papua New Guinea and Brazil, the people would eat the dead to expel the fear and mystery that surrounds the concept of death? 

Did you know that decades ago, among the people of Guinea, the death of a loved one meant that women and children related to the deceased had to cut off some of their fingers? This was done to drive away spirits.

Did you know that the people of North Americans used to crush some deceased and put them in a suitcase? The box would then be placed in a mortuary totem in front of the dead person's house.

Did you know that once a year, family members go to the grave of departed ones to burn money, to keep the dead comfortable in the afterlife?

Here are some other intriguing burial customs that are practised around the world.

1.     Skull Taking in the Republic of Kiribati 

The Kiribatis go back to the graves of their loved ones, a few months after the person's burial to exhume the deceased and take the skull. The skull is polished, oiled, preserved and displayed in the home of the relatives. On some occasions, offerings of food and smoke are offered to the skull to appease it. This custom is similar to that of the Nepalese. After a night of offering rice and flowers to their deceased, and keeping the dead in place with candles and their favourite food, the people cremate the deceased at sunrise and take home the skull for other rituals.

2.     TLC in Indonesia

In Tana Toraja, a village in Indonesia, the dead remains among the living until the family decides when to lower it into the ground. While this decision is being pondered on, the deceased must be relocated to a unique house known as the Tongkonan. It must be showered with love and care, bathed, dressed and fed daily and also taken out for strolls. This can take from days to years. Funerals, being the most important event among the Torajans, has to be carefully planned to suit the status of the deceased. After the planning has been concluded, and the resources gathered, the Torajans sacrifice a symbolic water buffalo. This is said to carry the deceased's spirit into the afterlife. After this sacrifice is made, the body is buried in a cave that has effigies (Tao Tao) of their ancestors at the top, watching over the dead family. Till this event takes place, the deceased is said to "just be sick", "asleep", or "visiting relatives". 

3.     Mummification in Papua New Guinea

In Egypt, mummification died out between the 4th and 7th centuries AD, but the ancient tradition is alive among the Anga people of Papua New Guinea. When a person dies, the Angas smoke the body, then suspend the mummified bodies from clifftops, in cages. The mummification process involves the burning of the corpse over a blazing fire for 3 months. During this process, if the corpse gets bloated, the body is poked with sticks to remove the fluids. The reason for the mummification is that the dead can still be remembered after death and the mummies protect the remaining living relatives.

4.     Hanging Coffins in China and the Philippines

Here, old people carve their coffins before their death. After death, the corpse is smoked to prevent decay, then tied with leaves and vines, and placed into the coffin. The coffins are then tied or nailed to the side of a cliff. Relatives and other mourners go to pay their respect at the cliff, and they allow the rotting body fluid drip from the coffin onto them as this is believed to bring good luck. The hanging of the coffins is said to help the deceased be closer to their ancestral spirits.

5.     Tower of Silence in Iran

The moment a person dies, the corpse is seen as dirty. Everything the corpse touches is defiled. The funeral rites begin with the cleansing of the corpse with bull's urine. After the purge, relatives and mourners are forbidden from touching the deceased, and the corpse is laid out, to be visited by Sagdid (a dog that casts away evil spirits). 

When the dog is done, the corpse is moved to the tower of silence (Dakhma) to be devoured by vultures. This act is believed to be the raising of the corpse to the sky. When the birds are done feeding, the bones are moved to a pit and bathed with lime.

6.     Turning of the Bones in Madagascar

Every seven years, the Malagasy people exhume the dead to turn the bones, spray it with wine or perfume and rewrap the corpse in fresh linens. This process is called Famadinha. Every time a corpse gets turned and rewrapped, there is a festive celebration near the tomb. This ritual is said to aid the deceased in its journey to the afterlife. For the relatives, it is a time to tell stories about the dead, convey happenings in the family to the deceased, and ask for blessings.

7.     Sky Burials in Tibet

Sky burials is a Buddhist tradition that involves cutting of the deceased into pieces and leaving it out for the birds and other animals to feed on. This ritual, known as Jhator, is a meticulous process of making sure that the deceased is returned to nature. It is conducted by a group of people, known as Rogyapas (body breakers). The body breakers slice and strip the skin from the bones and muscles. The flesh is then pounded and mixed with barley flour, butter or milk. The bones and cartilages are presented first to the birds and animals to pick off the flesh from it, then the meat is laid out later. 

The leftover bones are ground up and used as animal feed. To the Buddhists, corpses are empty shells. It is believed that feeding on the carcass is symbolic and is a way of giving back to the living –an act of charity and compassion. This ritual is also believed to carry the spirit of the deceased close to heaven.

There's a similar practice in Mongolia called "Air Sacrifice". The family lays the body out in the open and makes an outline of it with stones. They allow hungry dogs and birds to devour the corpse, leaving only the sketch, which they see as a representation of its spirit.

8.     Burial Bead in South Korea

Due to limited burial spaces, the Koreans are cremating their corpses. After the cremation, instead of placing the ashes in urns, they mould them into dazzling gemlike colourful death beads. The death beads are placed in transparent vases or decorative dishes and displayed around the house. 

9.     Fantasy Coffins in Ghana

Coffins are elaborate designs that showcase the profession or passion of the deceased and enables the dead to continue their job or hobby in the afterlife.

 It could be a pen-shaped coffin for a writer, a shoe-shaped coffin for a cobbler or a fish-shaped coffin for someone who loved swimming. 

The coffins are also representations of personal features.

 In the Ga tradition, the dead are more powerful than the living, and they can change the lives of their families. Hence, those alive do everything in their power to satisfy the dead and prevent their wrath.

10.  Funeral Rites in the Philippines

Tinguian:

After death, the Tinguians dress the deceased in their most beautiful clothing, sit them in chairs and prop lit cigarettes in their mouth.

Benguet:

Upon death, the Benguets blindfold the deceased and place in chairs, close to the entrance of the house.

Cavite:

During illness, the sick chooses a tree trunk to be buried in. After death, the tree is hollowed out, and the deceased is buried in it.

Apayo:

The Apayos bury their deceased ones below the kitchen grounds.

Cebuano:

When going to funerals, the Cebuanos dress their children in red. This is believed to limit the chances of the kids seeing ghosts.

This are some of the intriguing burial customs that I was able to gather. Some of these practices might seem morbid but they are just their ways of honouring the dead. 

Feel free to add yours...

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