Death is a sad event everywhere in the world.
The loss of a loved one is always hard to deal with which is why most funerals are a
sombre affair to show the ones left behind that they are not alone.
But there are some cultures which have some strange rituals for the departed.
Let’s take a look at some of them.
18.
Funeral Strippers, Taiwan.
If someone wants people not to be too sad at their funeral, what can they do?
Simple.
Hire Strippers!
In Taiwan, there is a ritual among some of the people of hiring show girls for funerals
who strip and dance.
Apparently, this is done to appease the wandering spirits, though there may be more than a few
living people who would be happy with it.
While it is seen as scandalous in many quarters,
there is no denying that it does make a funeral less sad!
17.
Burial Beads, South Korea.
South Korea is a small country and it has space issues.
So much so that the government has asked people to remove those who have been dead for over
60 years from their graves.
And while that is a difficult thing to deal with, many families opt for a cremation.
But there are some who have taken a different route.
Various companies have started a service where they compress the remains of the dead into
beads and give them to the family members who then hang it in their homes!
And what’s more is that these beams come in different colours
like black, pink and turquoise.
Well, whatever colour they may be, it still amounts to hanging a dead body in the house!
Creepy!
16.
The Heart in Diamond, USA.
Most of us look for a token of our loved ones who have passed away
to keep them with us forever.
And that is why a company in USA has come up with a unique venture.
They take part of the deceased, like a hair or ash, and preserve it inside a diamond!
It gives the family members a chance to keep them around for longer
and even displaying it in a beautiful way!
And you can even order bands to keep these tokens as a ring!
Wonder if a girl will say yes if you proposed with a ring made from the dead!
15.
Sati, India.
This hideous practice has now thankfully been banned.
But in ancient India, it was customary for the wife of a deceased person to accompany
her husband on the funeral pyre.
And since Hindus believe in cremating the dead, it meant self-immolation for the women.
And while it was technically a voluntary act, not doing so was considered a grievous offence
and many were even dragged to the fire.
14.
Famadihana, Madagascar.
Well if you thought dead and buried would be your last destination, think again.
At least if you happen to be buried in Madagascar.
There is a ritual there, called the famadihana or turning of the bones,
where family members take their loved ones out from the grave
and re-wrap them in fresh clothes before burying them back again.
And that’s not the only thing they do.
There is also live music and the family members dance with the remains before putting it back in again!
Guess they do believe in life after death!
13.
Strangulation, Fiji.
No one would want one of their close friends or relatives to die.
But in Fiji, it is more so, because there was a tradition which involved killing someone
close to the one who died so that they would not have to face death alone!
Now that is a fearsome thought to have!
12.
Hanging Coffins, China.
Everyone wants to go to heaven after they are dead.
But then there are some folks in China who took it a step too far.
Or too high!
It was custom to take the coffin of the dead high up onto the mountains and then leave
it dangling from the edge.
The reason was that they believed that if the coffins were close to the sky then the
dead would be closer to heaven!
And while this custom was followed in the ancient days, some of these coffins can still be seen today!
11.
Memorial Reef, USA.
While it is usually a better idea to leave the dead alone, USA has come up with an interesting
practice where they compress the dead into a sphere and attach it to a reef under the sea.
It is a pretty green way to go since it contributes to the sea life habitat and is a perfect last
gift for someone who loved the sea.
But then, there just might be fish nibbling at you later on!
10.
Endocannibalism, Brazil.
While this one was also practiced in other places like Papua New Guinea,
the Wari people in Brazil believed that the best way to go was to help others.
So, they believed in eating the dead.
Known as endocannibalism, this feast was to build a stronger connection between the living and the dead.
Thankfully, it is not known to be practiced now!
9.
Sky Burials, Tibet.
Why would you want to waste away your flesh when you can use it to feed animals?
That is exactly what the Tibetan Buddhists believe in.
They cut up their dead into small pieces and leave it for the animals.
In fact, sometimes they don’t even bother with the chopping and let the bodies be for
the vultures to feed on!
And while it may sound macabre, Buddhists actually do not believe in commemorating a
dead body and consider it just as an empty vessel!
And this ritual has been in place for thousands of years and still,
almost 80% of the Tibetan Buddhists practice this ritual!
8.
Vikings.
Of all the brutal funeral traditions, this one takes the cake.
When a Viking chieftain died, he was given a temporary burial of 10 days while new clothes
were made for him.
And, during that time, one of his slave girls would have to volunteer to do a parting ritual.
She would go from tent to tent to have sex with every man in the village after being
given massive amounts of alcohol!
The men would tell the slave girl to tell “her master” what all they did for their love for him.
Then, she was taken to a tent where 6 men had sex with her before she was strangled
by rope and stabbed by the village matriarch.
Then, she would be placed with her master on a wooden ship before they were set alight!
7.
Finger Amputation, Papua New Guinea.
There is a lot pain associated with death, even for the ones still alive.
But mostly, it is the mental kind.
Unless you happen to be one of the Dani people in West Papua New Guinea where every person
related to the dead had to cut off their fingers.
Well, not everyone, just the women and children.
It is believed that the physical pain would gratify and drive away the evil spirits.
The amputation was conducted with an axe and the chopped off part would be dried
and burnt to ashes.
Thankfully, this has now been banned!
6.
Smoked Bodies, papua New Guinea.
Seems like Papua New guinea is the place for weird after death rituals!
The Anga people of Aseki have a weird and kind of creepy ritual where they actually
smoke the bodies of the dead before hanging them in cages of bamboo.
The effect is creepy as the flesh turns red and their position is like crouching on the
sides of the cliff where the cages are kept.
It is believed that this makes them look over the people of the village and protect them from harm.
And if they consider any tourists harm, then it is pretty successful
because the hanging red and dead bodies to tend to scare people off!
5.
Mortuary Rites, Australia.
The Aboriginal death rites are actually pretty intense.
They kept the body of the dead on top of a raised platform covered with leaves and branches
for months till it is decomposed.
And in some cases, they even collected the liquid from the decaying corpse and applied
it on young men so that they would get the virtues of the departed!
Once decayed, the bones would be collected and painted with red ochre
and then placed in a cave.
But if the relatives so wanted, they could keep a bone as a token!
4.
Santhara, India.
The Jains are pretty hard core.
They believe in not harming anyone and some of them even cover their mouths throughout
their lives so that they do not accidentally swallow a fly!
But there is nothing as surprising as the Santhara.
They believe that once their life purpose has been served,
they should look for spiritual purification which they do by fasting to death!
View it either as voluntary suicide or self euthanasia, but if you are Jain
and decide to intervene, you will probably be ostracised from the community!
3.
Fantasy Coffins, Ghana.
When you go, go in style it seems!
That holds true for Ghana where a death is a time for mourning as well as for celebrating the life.
Which is why many prefer a fantasy coffin as the final resting place.
Carpenters make this coffin in a variety of shapes to reflect the person’s life and their status.
So if you are a shitty person in life, don’t be surprised if you end up in a commode shaped coffin!
2.
Mortuary Totem Poles, America.
The Haida people in American northwest do put up a lot of totem poles in their areas.
And it is more than just a decoration.
Normally when a person dies,
they are thrown into a mass grave where animals are allowed to feed on them.
But when a chieftain, shaman or important warrior dies, it becomes an ever messier affair!
The body is crushed to pulp by clubs till it can fit into a wooden box.
The box would then be put up on top of a totem pole in front of the deceased’s long house
and the icons on the totem would act as guides on the spirit’s journey into the afterlife.
So the next time you think of reaching for that box on a totem pole,
know that it contains a dead person!
1.
Funeral Clowns, Europe.
Now funerals are sad affairs but they don’t really have to be.
That is why in Europe, many families actually hire clowns to come and entertain the mourners
during a funeral!
Known as funeral clowns, these ones bring with them water balloons and squirting flowers
just to ensure that the mood is not overly heavy.
Just imagine someone giving a farewell speech which is getting everyone down.
What better way than a loud fart sound to cheer everyone up?
If you know of any funeral rites that are as bizarre as these, do let us know in the
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