Different cultures have different ways to mark the death of someone they love.
There are many ways to say “Goodbye”
In the UK, the funeral or burial is the way we remember the death of someone. These are solemn occasions that commemorate a person’s death.
These traditions allow the loved ones who are grieving to be able to say goodbye and maybe even grow from their loss.
But not all cultures mark death in this manner. Some cultures feature customs that many Brits may find “bizarre”.
Even though these customs may seem odd, they can be very significant in certain locations. The Mirror has examined some of the most unique death customs, including those that involve water and sky burials.
Ashes into death beads – South Korea
(Image: Getty Images/Robert Harding World Imagery)
“Death beads” aren’t exactly a fashion trend, they are a way of honouring the dead in South Korea.
Since 2000, a law that required all people who bury their deceased after 2000 to dispose of the grave within 60 years of burial has been popularized the idea death beads.
Because South Korea is running out of burial spaces, this is why death beads are so popular.
Cultural changes have resulted in a rise in cremation rates. Beads are considered to be more healthy than creepy.
Sky burial – Tibet
This Tibetan funeral practice involves placing the deceased on a mountaintop to decompose whilst being exposed ‘to the elements’ or eaten by scavenging animals.
It’s a specific type of excarnation practiced in the Chinese provinces and autonomous regions of Tibet, Qinghai, Sichuan and Inner Mongolia and Mongolia.
Villagers will transport the body by horse or automobile to the sky burial location, where the master of the ceremony will perform rituals over the body.
After birds have circled over the site, the master will chop the body into small pieces for feasting, and if vultures consume the entire body, it’s considered a good sign.
Water burial – Scandinavia
Known from old Norse poetry and Icelandic sagas, a ship burial involves the deceased being laid in a boat and given grave offerings.
To create a burial ground, the remains would be covered with soil and stone piles.
The idea of a ‘Viking funeral’ is wanted by many today, but as seen in a Q&A from Scattering Ashes, it definitely won’t be done the traditional Nordic way.
You can even see an undisturbed ship burial at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, with a vast array of Anglo-Saxon artefacts.
A cigarette in the lips – Philippines
The Tinguians in the Philippines dress up the deceased in their best outfit and sit the body in the chair.
The body will be left there for several weeks, with often a lit cigarette between the lips.
Corpses are also buried sitting up and women have their hands tied to their feet to prevent ‘ghosts from roaming’.
Rock climbing – Sagada, Philippines
(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
The Igorot tribe of the Mountain Province in Northern Philippines practicing the tradition of burying their dead in hanging coffins.
It is only a once in a few years tradition. The coffins hang from the sides of the cliffs and are only about one metre tall. The corpse is placed in the foetus’ position.
The body is wrapped in a blanket again and tied with rattan. A small group of men then hammer into the side of cliffs to support the coffin.
After that, the group climbs up the side of cliff to place the corpse in a wooden coffin.
Funeral strippers – China
(Image: Getty Images)
Funeral strippers are actually a thing in China.
As reported by The BBC, strippers are used to boost funeral attendance as large crowds are seen as a mark of honour for the deceased.
Understandably it’s not all to everyone’s taste, as seen in a report by The Global Times vowing to crack down on funeral strippers.
Catch up with the dead – Madagascar
Famadihana is the ‘day of the dead’ for Madagascar, it’s held every five to seven years.
It’s where families will dig up their ancestors by exhuming them and wrapping them in fresh shrouds.
They dance, perfume, and share stories with the corpses.