Traditions surrounding death rituals are as wide and varied as are the cultures and peoples of the earth. Deeply shaped by cultural and religious beliefs, some people view the body as nothing more than fodder for vultures while others repeatedly redress the deceased body and even dance with it.
Central to these traditions are peoples’ views about what happens to the soul in the next life. In many cultures, the treatment of a deceased body reflects their beliefs in how they view the journey of one’s soul. For many Asian cultures, where reincarnation is commonly accepted, the body is viewed as nothing more than an empty vessel. The spirit that left it behind has no more connection to the body, and will soon be reborn into another. No burial is needed, as the bodies are often left in the wild be provide food for vultures and other wildlife.
While the simple traditions of Tibetan monks and other Asian cultures reflect their belief that a deceased spirit has no continuing attachment to the body, other cultures build their beliefs on the idea that the body continues to represent the presence of their deceased loved one, and that the treatment of the body can directly influence the quality of existence for their departed loved on. The Malagasy people of Madagascar believe in Famadihana, known as the “Turning of the Bones.” During this festival, the bodies of the dead are exhumed from their graves, rewrapped in fresh cloth, and then danced with while lively music is played for the occasion.
The body is central to death rituals to other cultures throughout the world. Australian aborigines believe the body of the deceased can contain mystical power of healing and strength, and as it decomposes, they will decorate their own bodies with the residue so as to absorb the good qualities of the deceased. Later, the bones will be painted with red ochre and be worn by living relatives. Some cultures absorbed the energy from the body through eating it, a practice known as endocannabalism. While rare nowadays, it once was common among tribes in Central and South America.
Respect for the body is at the heart of many global death rituals, but for some, the opposite rings true. Zoroastrians want nothing to do with the body of the deceased, and believe that it defiles all that it touches. After it is cleansed in consecrated bull’s urine, it is wrapped in special linen and visited twice by a dog trained to cast away evil spirits. Touching the corpse at any time is strictly forbidden and can cause one’s soul to become impure. Eventually, the body is placed on a “Tower of Silence,” where the linen and clothes are removed with special tools (which are disposed of immediately after), and the body is left to be devoured by vultures.
While the body of the deceased is central to a large number of global death traditions, less common are traditions that require ritualistic behaviors that focus on the bodies of the living. In New Guinea, the Dani people were once required to cut off fingers at the death of a loved one, a practice that has been fading for the past century. Not only is this seen as a sign of respect and grieving, but it is meant to symbolize the pain one feels after losing a loved one. One of the most extreme rituals, seen in India, is fortunately now banned.
Sati was a funerary practice that required recently widowed women to burn themselves on their husband’s funeral pyre. While some women willingly engaged in this practice, it is no surprise that many were reluctant, and on occasion were even dragged against their will to the fire. While some chose to view this practice with a merciful silver lining of the wife simply refusing to be parted from her husband and following him into the after-life, those views weren’t enough to prevent this odd ritual from being made illegal in modern society.
Common to all these global traditions is the body of the deceased—whether respected or reviled. At the heart of these rituals are strongly held cultural and religious beliefs that may appear widely different in practice but that at their heart all share one common belief—respect. Whether respect for the body, respect for the soul, or respect for those left behind, all these traditions can teach us about the ways cultures throughout the world respect the end of our mortal journey common to us all.