Seven Unusual Funeral Traditions from Around the World

VIVA – Death is a process that people must go through. Usually, someone who has died will end up in a burial place. The funeral process also consists of various stages, ranging from ceremonies, prayers, and burials. In fact, there is a funeral process with the option of cremation.

This funeral process is a tradition that must be done to respect someone who has died by providing a comfortable final resting place. As it turns out, there are some unusual funeral traditions from around the world, such as the following.

1. Burial in the Sky, Tibet

Sky burial is the most common funeral ritual for Tibetan Buddhists. They believe in sending the souls of loved ones to heaven. During this ritual, the corpse is left on a cliff, cut into pieces, and used as food for the vultures.

People of Tibet believe that a vulture that comes and eats the body signifies that the deceased has no sin and his soul has gone peacefully to Heaven.

2. Famadihana, Madagascar

The ceremony describes the "dancing with the dead" funeral tradition that takes place in Madagascar. Malagasy people usually open the graves of the dead and replace them with new ones every few years.

While changing clothes, music and dance are played to celebrate the ceremony. According to them, this ritual is designed to accelerate decay and promote life after the death of the spirits of the deceased.

3. Endocannibalism Funeral, Papua New Guinea and Brazil

It turns out that the funeral tradition of the Melanesian population in Papua New Guinea and the Wari Tribe in Brazil is very strange and unique, namely eating corpses or Endocannibalism. Both tribes chose to eat corpses rather than bury them. Many said it was done as a ritual to exorcise bad spirits and other mysteries.

4. Parade funeral, India

Funeral rituals from Varanasi, India are unique in that they lift the dead and display them on the streets and are considered a procession. The corpse wore brightly colored clothes to symbolize a specific purpose (e.g., red for purity, yellow for knowledge).