The cycle of life starts with one’s birth and ends with his death. In the Philippines, it has been a tradition to bury departed loved ones or cremate them as a means of saying goodbye. These have been the accepted culture everywhere. But, for particular places in the world where they treat the bodies of their lost family members, it can be a bit weird yet fascinating. Interested to know what those traditions are? Read on to find out!
The majority of Filipinos believe in burying the dead or cremating them in memory of their loss. However, in a remote location called “Sagada,” burying their people in the cemetery is out of the question. Although they have coffins, they are not buried, they are hanged on a cliff.
The Igorots believe that it is through death that souls achieve peace and solemnity. By hanging their coffins in a cliff, it is thought that no one can disturb their slumber while they’re on their journey to find their way to the Igorot’s God, Kabunian.
From one ethnic group to another, The Tinguain community celebrates the lives of their departed by making their deceased bodies look alive. They dress the body in their best clothes, make them sit on a chair, and light a cigarette on their mouths.
In other cultures, totem poles serve as the community’s guidance, protection, and wisdom. However, mortuary poles don’t serve such purpose. Instead, they become the houses of the remains of the nobles, chiefs, warriors, and shamans after their bodies are crushed with clubs. The symbols and icons found in the mortuary totem poles are said to guide people’s spirits to the afterlife.
As we have mentioned in our blogs, death is not only a time for mourning the loss of a beloved one. It is also a time to celebrate how they lived their lives with us. In light of this, the country of Ghana believes that the coffin that houses the remains of a departed soul must represent their personality and status in society. A deceased body can either be put in a casket with fancy details or in a beer can.
For practicality purposes, other families opt for cremation. Some crematoriums allow families to bring the ashes of their beloved ones in a jar while some put it in a locket. In South Korea, you can keep the ashes and have them compressed into colorful gems that replicate like beads. Then, the beads are stored in a jar (instead of having ashes) and utilized as home décor.
Although these traditions may appear weird for the majority of us, we can only respect their ways of saying goodbye to their beloved departed. It is their sacred method of paying homage to a life that has been lost.
Any weird yet fascinating traditions you have heard that we didn’t include in this article? Share it with us in the comments section below!
Photos: Pixabay
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