For as long as human beings have existed, traditions and rituals surrounding death have been commonplace. Throughout history, funeral customs from around the world have existed in order to show proper respect to the dead and allow those left behind to grieve in appropriate ways. Naturally, there have been some massively different approaches to the act of laying a person to rest upon his or her death. While you might be familiar with the rites of your culture or religion, you may not know much about how others handle this important task.
From turning the remains of the dead into displayable items to utilizing coffins with a bit of flair, there are countless funeral customs unique to specific places on the planet. Learn more by checking out these interesting rituals from around the world.
A Way To Display Those You Love
In many Western cultures, it is commonplace to either bury or cremate the remains of the deceased. With cremation, the loved ones of the departed will be given the option of scattering the ashes somewhere of significance or keeping them in an urn somewhere in the home. In South Korea, however, there is a slightly different approach to the concept of displaying a person’s remains within a residence. Instead of ashes, Koreans will often have their bodies compressed until they form small beads. Boasting the appearance of dazzling gemstones, these make for gorgeous finished products.
Typically, the families or friends of the deceased will display these beads somewhere in their homes. Though similar to the concept of keeping ashes in an urn, this is a more colorful and lighthearted way of approaching the task.
A Loss That Encourages More Loss
Countless practices surrounding funerals date back to points in history when superstitious beliefs were rampant among almost all people. This means that many considerations were taken when it came to ensuring the deceased would successfully make it to the afterlife. Additionally, some groups believed that the loss of a loved one could leave family and friends susceptible to evil or nefarious spirits. In Papua New Guinea, there was once a practice aimed at preventing this corruption by way of encouraging additional loss in those impacted by the death.
The Dani people of Papua New Guinea used to amputate a finger or two from individuals who recently buried a loved one. The idea here was to make an offering to the spirit world as a way of preventing any additional death within the group. Though practiced for countless years, the ritual has been made illegal in more recent times.
A Coffin That Is Uniquely “You”
Personalizing a funeral to match the tastes of the departed is far from uncommon in places like the United States and Canada. However, there are some places in the world where this idea is taken to entirely new heights. In Ghana, it is quite normal for a person to be buried in a coffin that has been carefully crafted by professionals in specific ways. The idea is to give the deceased a burial in a way that reflects their life. For example, a fisherman might be buried in a coffin stylized to look like a boat or a giant fish.
A Space in Nature
In the Philippines, there are hundreds of different cultures existing simultaneously in the same general region. This means that funeral customs vary greatly from one family to the next. For the Caviteño people, it is common for the deceased to be placed in hollow trees instead of buried in the ground. A person will usually select his or her tree for burial long before dying.
Customs surrounding funerals have been around for as far back as history allows. Learning about funeral customs from around the world can be an enriching way to learn how people view death and the afterlife.