Death Rituals

Name: Grade: Date: native musical genre that usually narrates the life of the common Mexicans: the When possible, Indians try to die revolution times, family life in the countryside, horses, canteens and love, which can be at home and avoid being moved painful from time to time. to hospitals or funeral places. In Death Rituals most cases funeral celebrations The Day of the Dead in The Day of the Dead has a very important social value: all families, regardless of social are held in the same family class, come together to celebrate and honor their deceased ancestors; they all homes. When a person dies, he’s Mexico celebrate in the same way and although the altars vary according to the traditions left in his room where they take all and family memories. It is thus common in cemeteries and squares on November the his clothes out and clean the The Day of the Dead is one of the 2nd to find hundreds of families gathered together with the same intention: to body with flower waters and most characteristic Mexican celebrate death as a symbol of eternal life. essences. The body is then traditions and a strong symbol of covered with a white sheet so that its culture. The aim of this Tibetan death rituals is not exposed, with his head celebration, ironic as it may facing east and a lamp or seem, is to celebrate life: families When someone dies at the burning fire in this same position gather around an intimate Tibet, a place of wide Asian so that it illuminates its way moment, surrounded mainly by tradition, the body is towards the beyond. all kinds of Mexican dishes. transferred to a special isolated

room where, during three days, The family children sing mantras, songs and prayers and light the body with flares. This ritual has its origins in times it is praised by monks chanting Meanwhile, the women fill the mouth of the deceased with food, especially rice, so that of indigenous occupation before they arrive fed to their new life. Cempasuchil flower prayers, mantras and songs. the Colony; the natives buried This allows the soul to make its their dead with their most transition process and separate To finish the ritual, about half a day after the moment in which the body is cremated, precious belongings and from the body. the family takes the ashes and scatters them in an intimate ceremony. They are taken appliances. This is the origin of to a significant river, throwing them in the water among different colored flowers. the traditional altar of the dead, When those three days have a kind of shelf where all the passed, the body of the ornaments that each family deceased is transferred to the considers important to mountain where it is dissected remember those who have and each of the bones are passed away. It’s based on the broken in pieces with a stone. Later, when the body has been dismembered, it is set on belief that through identifying fire, which they consider that attracts vultures, sacred birds for this culture. those valuables, they may want to come back to life. This ritual is called Sky Burial and it’s an offering to Buddha. The whole ritual is

room where, during three days, The family children sing mantras, songs and prayers and light the body with flares. This ritual has its origins in times it is praised by monks chanting Meanwhile, the women fill the mouth of the deceased with food, especially rice, so that of indigenous occupation before prayers, mantras and songs. they arrive fed to their new life. the Colony; the natives buried This allows the soul to make its their dead with their most transition process and separate To finish the ritual, about half a day after the moment in which the body is cremated, precious belongings and from the body. the family takes the ashes and scatters them in an intimate ceremony. They are taken appliances. This is the origin of to a significant river, throwing them in the water among different colored flowers. the traditional altar of the dead, When those three days have a kind of shelf where all the passed, the body of the ornaments that each family deceased is transferred to the considers important to mountain where it is dissected Tibetan burial remember those who have and each of the bones are passed away. It’s based on the broken in pieces with a stone. Later, when the body has been dismembered, it is set on belief that through identifying fire, which they consider that attracts vultures, sacred birds for this culture. those valuables, they may want to come back to life. This ritual is called Sky Burial and it’s an offering to Buddha. The whole ritual is

practiced by a priest. Although for many cultures this ritual could be considered cruel, Different elements of Catholic for Tibetans it is natural since the body is only a vehicle through which life is origin are also placed on it to transported, so the natural decomposition of it is only a part of the natural course of protect them in the path they life. undertake: pictures of different saints, candles, holy water and The Sky Burial is practiced equally for all Tibetans adhering to Buddhism (the majority crosses, among others. On the altar, they also put the favorite dishes of the deceased, of them). However, they sometimes also use cremation, which in ancient times was they include alcoholic beverages, especially tequila and mezcal and an exclusive dish exclusive for lamas because of the difficulty in carrying it out. Nowadays, it is more of this festivity: the bread of the dead. In addition, there chop colored pieces of paper common and easier to perform and alternate cremation with Sky Burials, since all around to symbolize that for them this is a happy occasion. Flowers, especially the essentially what’s important is to terminate the physical body in order to transcend. flower of the cempasúchil (a type of Mexican marigold flower) are arranged to guide the souls in their way back. Hindu funeral rituals The altars of the dead are taken to the tombs of the loved ones, where the ritual is mostly celebrated. Families take the food there, eat, pray and celebrate as a family. In India, funeral rituals vary according to the caste or social class of the deceased. In Normally the party is also accompanied by music; they sing or play rancheras, a any case, death is considered as the end of the material world but never as the end of existence. native musical genre that usually narrates the life of the common Mexicans: the When possible, Indians try to die revolution times, family life in the countryside, horses, canteens and love, which can be at home and avoid being moved painful from time to time. to hospitals or funeral places. In most cases funeral celebrations The Day of the Dead in The Day of the Dead has a very important social value: all families, regardless of social are held in the same family class, come together to celebrate and honor their deceased ancestors; they all homes. When a person dies, he’s Mexico celebrate in the same way and although the altars vary according to the traditions left in his room where they take all and family memories. It is thus common in cemeteries and squares on November the his clothes out and clean the The Day of the Dead is one of the 2nd to find hundreds of families gathered together with the same intention: to body with flower waters and most characteristic Mexican celebrate death as a symbol of eternal life. essences. The body is then traditions and a strong symbol of covered with a white sheet so that its culture. The aim of this Tibetan death rituals is not exposed, with his head celebration, ironic as it may facing east and a lamp or seem, is to celebrate life: families When someone dies at the burning fire in this same position gather around an intimate Tibet, a place of wide Asian so that it illuminates its way moment, surrounded mainly by tradition, the body is Hindu dead ritual towards the beyond. all kinds of Mexican dishes. transferred to a special isolated room where, during three days, The family children sing mantras, songs and prayers and light the body with flares. This ritual has its origins in times it is praised by monks chanting Meanwhile, the women fill the mouth of the deceased with food, especially rice, so that of indigenous occupation before prayers, mantras and songs. they arrive fed to their new life. the Colony; the natives buried This allows the soul to make its their dead with their most transition process and separate To finish the ritual, about half a day after the moment in which the body is cremated, precious belongings and from the body. the family takes the ashes and scatters them in an intimate ceremony. They are taken appliances. This is the origin of to a significant river, throwing them in the water among different colored flowers. the traditional altar of the dead, When those three days have a kind of shelf where all the passed, the body of the ornaments that each family deceased is transferred to the considers important to mountain where it is dissected remember those who have and each of the bones are passed away. It’s based on the broken in pieces with a stone. Later, when the body has been dismembered, it is set on belief that through identifying fire, which they consider that attracts vultures, sacred birds for this culture. those valuables, they may want to come back to life. This ritual is called Sky Burial and it’s an offering to Buddha. The whole ritual is practiced by a priest. Although for many cultures this ritual could be considered cruel, Different elements of Catholic for Tibetans it is natural since the body is only a vehicle through which life is origin are also placed on it to transported, so the natural decomposition of it is only a part of the natural course of protect them in the path they life. undertake: pictures of different saints, candles, holy water and The Sky Burial is practiced equally for all Tibetans adhering to Buddhism (the majority crosses, among others. On the altar, they also put the favorite dishes of the deceased, of them). However, they sometimes also use cremation, which in ancient times was they include alcoholic beverages, especially tequila and mezcal and an exclusive dish exclusive for lamas because of the difficulty in carrying it out. Nowadays, it is more of this festivity: the bread of the dead. In addition, there chop colored pieces of paper common and easier to perform and alternate cremation with Sky Burials, since all around to symbolize that for them this is a happy occasion. Flowers, especially the essentially what’s important is to terminate the physical body in order to transcend. flower of the cempasúchil (a type of Mexican marigold flower) are arranged to guide the souls in their way back. Hindu funeral rituals The altars of the dead are taken to the tombs of the loved ones, where the ritual is mostly celebrated. Families take the food there, eat, pray and celebrate as a family. In India, funeral rituals vary according to the caste or social class of the deceased. In Normally the party is also accompanied by music; they sing or play rancheras, a any case, death is considered as the end of the material world but never as the end of existence.