The path we grieve , commemorate , and dispose of our utter varies greatly from civilisation to acculturation , but some tradition really take funerals to the next level of macabre . Here are 10 of the most outlandish death rituals the world has ever recognize .
For some finish , the best way to honor the stagnant is by wipe out them . Referred to as “ endocannibalism ” by stodgy anthropologists , these “ feasts of the drained ” are a way toforge a permanent connection between the living and the recently deceased . It ’s also a cathartic manner to express the loathing and fear associated with end and its tragical wake . Some anthropologist have suggest that endocannibalism is something the dead would have require from the living — a concluding gesture of good will to the tribe and family . Though no longer practiced ( at least not that we have a go at it of ) , cultures who engaged in endocannibalism include the Melanesians of Papua New Guinea and the Wari people of Brazil .
But why nourish yourself with the flesh of the recently deceased when you could employ it to feed wild creature ? Such is the mentation of Tibetan Buddhistspractice ritual dissection , or “ Sky Burials ” — the tradition of chop up the dead into pocket-size piece and giving the remains to animals , in particular dame . Sometimes the body is leave intact — which is not a problem for advantageous vultures . While this may seem undignified and even a morsel disgusting , the ritual make concluded sense from a Buddhistic position . Buddhist have no desire to preserve or remember a bushed consistency , something that is seen as an empty vas . Moreover , in tune with their respect for all living , Buddhists see it as only fitting that one ’s final act ( even if committed in procurator ) is to have their remains used to get the life of another go wight ; and in fact , the rite is find out as a gesture of compassion and charity . Today , over 80 % of Tibetan Buddhists choose sky sepulture , a ritual that has been observe for thousands of old age .
The mysterious Bo people of the Hemp Pond Valley in Southwest China ’s Gongxian County flourished for millennia before they were massacre by the Ming Dynasty over five centuries ago . Today , the Bo are almost completely forget , save for the spectacular hanging coffins they have left behind — ahaunting array of wooden casketsthat extend from the rock ‘n’ roll face to a height of almost 300 feet . Located just above the Crab Stream , the 160 coffins were placed along the cliffs and within rude caves , with some rest on wooden posts that extend out from the cliffside . The precipice itself features many murals that are painted with lustrous cinnabar red colors , many of which depict the life of the Bo people . Today , the locals refer to the long - lost civilization by such name as “ Son of the Cliffs ” and “ Subjugators of the Sky . ” But why they interred their bushed in this mode remains a complete mystery .
Though now ( mercifully ) banned in India , Sati was a funerary praxis in whichrecently widowed women immolated themselves on their married man ’s funeral pyre . The impost was go out as a voluntary turn , but there were many case in which women were force to pull Sati — sometimes even dragged against their will to the fire . No one is sure how the ritual got started , but one suggestion is that it was introduced to prevent married woman from killing their wealthy husband ( typically with toxicant ) and marry their real lovers . Another possibility is that it was seen as a way for a hubby and wife to participate into the hereafter together so that they could thwart opportunistic female angels . Interestingly , India was not the first and only civilization to adopt the custom . Other ancient bon ton that practiced something similar to Sati included the Egyptians , Greeks , Goth , and Scythians .
As if the death of a loved one was n’t traumatic enough , the Dani the great unwashed of West Papua , New Guinea alsohad to cut down off their own fingers . This seemingly severe and incomprehensible ritual apply to any cleaning lady have-to doe with to the departed , as well as any children . The practice session was done to both gratify and drive aside the spirits , while also provide a way to apply physical pain in the neck as an expression of sorrow and agony . To perform the amputation , fingers were tied tightly with string and then curve off with an axe . The remnant while was then dry and burned to ash or stored in a particular place . The ritual is now banned in New Guinea , but ( as this image shew ) the effects of the practice can still be seen in some of the old members of the community .
The Malagasy mass of Madagascar have understandably never take heed the phrase , “ repose in peace . ” In an effort to hasten decomposition — what ’s seen as an all-important gradation in the on-going process of get the spirits of the dead into the hereafter — the Malagasy dig up the cadaver of their relatives and rewrap them in smart cloth . Afterward , the Malagasy then dance with the corps around the grave to inhabit music . Called Famadihana , or “ Turning of the Bones , ” the ritual has been around for three centuries — one that the local Christian churches are doing their in effect to stamp out .
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