The World's Strangest Funeral Ceremonies

Okay, first the disclaimer: American funerals and burial practices may also appear strange and primitive to other cultures, such as makeup on embalmed corpses. Also, some American cemeteries contain mausoleums larger than many homes in the third world. And a cemetery in Hollywood, California even has video kiosk memorials and nighttime summer film screenings (see my article on the Hollywood Forever cemetery).

With that said, here's a selection of some of the world's most unusual funeral customs.

In the Tanatoraga region of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, when a local dies, his or her body is preserved and kept in the family home for an unspecified period of time while the family makes burial preparations. During this period, which can last up to a week, the deceased may be propped up in a seat at the dinner table with friends and family as if he or she were still alive. Visitors to the house of mourning are also encouraged to "greet" the deceased upon entry and ask the deceased for permission to leave when the time comes.

Before the burial, the funeral service is conducted as if it was an arena-type spectacle. The mourners sing and dance as buffalos are sacrificed and "carry the loved one's soul to heaven."

Note that this ceremony and preparations can be very expensive for the average Torajan family.

Varanasi is a holy city on the Ganges River in India. Along Varanasi's river banks are over 100 structures known as "ghats." While most of these structures are used for river bathers, a few are used as crematoriums or funeral pyres in local burial services.

A burial ceremony in Varanasi begins with the shrouded corpse being carried through the street by a caste known as "chandal." A procession of family and friends follow the body, all chanting and praying for the deceased. When the body reaches one of the "burning ghats", it is placed on the "eternal flames" within the ghat. Note that these pyres are never extinguished thanks to the "don ropas", keepers of sacred fires. During the final stage of the immolation process, the ashes are released into the sacred Ganges River and float on its journey to heaven.

at the ghats in Varanasa

Credit: Flickr

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