How many methods of cremation do you know? Burial and cremation are the two methods most religions use, but you may not be aware that there are many death customs around the world. Many times we hear about such a shocking custom. Death is an invariable truth, but have you ever heard that death is celebrated? No-no, I am not talking about feeding lakhs of people in Tervi. There are many religions and castes in the world where death is seen differently.
Today we are going to tell you about five such customs which look at the death of a loved one in a different way.
1. The eyes of the corpse are closed and made to sit near its dear ones
Where- Philippines
About 10% of the population present in the Philippines follows a unique custom after death. For example, people living here in the province of Benguet follow a unique custom to bid farewell to their near and dear ones. Here the corpse is blindfolded and its hands and feet are tied. According to beliefs, this is done to prevent the soul from going too far from the body.
The last rites of people belonging to the Apayao caste are also very famous. Here the dead person is wrapped with a mat. This mat is called Ikamen. After this, the male members of the family lift them on their shoulders and move forward. Along with this, while burying them, many such things are kept in their coffin which the family members consider necessary.
2. Bid is taken at the time of funeral
Where- India Jain Community
Have you ever heard of Santara or Sallekhna? If you have ever seen the last rites of Jain sages, then you probably know. There was a lot of controversy on Twitter regarding the funeral procession of Jain monk TarunSagar where people were calling his last journey cruel. But let me tell you that this is the way of farewell to Jain sages. It is customary to tie his dead body to the support of a wooden plank. He is always sent off in the posture of Samadhi and it is also called palanquin by some people.
In Jainism, there is a custom of Sat+Lekhna=Sallekhana where Jain sages take voluntary death by weakening their body. If they feel that they may die soon, they stop eating and drinking. This has been explained in the Jain scripture Tatvartha Sutra. Different works bid for this last farewell. For example, who will throw the gulal, who will give shoulder, who will give fire to the pyre, who will sit on the throne, who will untie the rope etc? The money collected is used for social work.
3. Bodies are fed to birds
Where- Parsi communities around the world and Tibet
You must have heard about the Tower of Silence of the Parsi community. When someone dies in the Parsi community, his dead body is kept in this Tower of Silence. It is believed that vultures and many other types of birds would come here and eat them. In this religion, there is a custom of handing over the body to nature. Something like this is also a part of Tibetan culture. Here people of certain communities feed the dead bodies of their close ones to the vultures. Actually, on death here the dead body is left for the vultures in the mountains. Some cuts etc. are made so that the vultures can come near the dead body. Such a custom is considered a symbol of charity in Buddhism.
4. Coffins are suspended in the air
Where- Philippines
You will find some of the most unique customs in the world in the Philippines. If you search 'Hanging Coffins' on Google, the custom of the Igorot people of the Philippines will come up. There is a 2000-year-old custom where coffins of dead people are hung from the hill. It is believed that the coffins present here are about 2000 years old. This is mostly done with the respected people of the society. It is believed that the higher the coffin is, the higher will be the reputation of the person inside the coffin.
5. Three-Day Ritual
Where- Korea
Nowadays Korean culture is becoming very famous, so why not mention their customs? There is a custom of mourning a death in Korea. People remember their loved ones while crying. There mourning is celebrated for three days. You must have seen in many Korean dramas that people there use funeral homes. The photo of the deceased is decorated by decorating the room and all his favourite things are decorated on the table and food is offered.
Their alcohol is served at the funeral. Instead of burial, most people follow the practice of burning there, but a tombstone is installed in the cemetery. Some photographs along with the ashes and other items commemorating the deceased are kept in a glass cabin at the funeral homes. The rent of these glass cabins also has to be paid to these funeral homes. Although it lasts for three days, its time can be more or less. For example, there is no funeral on Sunday among the people of the Christian religion.
