For thousands of years, people have dealt with burying the dead in different ways, and each culture has had its own funeral rites that are controlled by the prevailing beliefs,customs and traditions that govern different peoples.
Even today, the dead are treated in different ways, and although the common way is to bury the dead or cremate them in other cultures, in this article you will find strange ways stemming from different beliefs and cultures for funerals and burials of the dead. Some of these rituals no longer exist, but others are still in effect today
1-Indian sati rituals
An Indian custom of funerals is known as sati meaning cremation of the wife. This ancient custom spread in ancient times in many parts of India, and despite its prohibition, many Indian tribes still practice this habit in absolute secrecy and often against the desire of the victim.
After the death of the husband, there were special funeral rites performed on his wife as well, by burning her alive or by flogging the victim herself to death. There are also other forms of these horrific rituals, such as when the wife is buried alive or drowned while alive.
2-Finger amputation in Guinea
Danny's Guinean tribe has a strange custom when burying the dead, amputating their finger to express their grief over the death of the dead. Although this habit was strange, it was not fatal unless it caused an infection.
The Danny tribe is one of the tribes that were once in hiding, but it was reached during the twentieth century and is known today thanks to tourism.
The tradition that is banned today in New Guinea is where relatives of the deceased cut off part of their finger, burn it and put his ashes aside at the memorial site. Even the female children the order was applied to them!
3-The Hanging Burial
The Bo people who lived in ancient China were accustomed to hanging their coffins and hiding them in dangerous areas. These coffins were found during expeditions of the history of the Po civilization and are tangible evidence of the special nature of the Po people in which they lived and died.
Little is known about the Chinese "Bo" civilization, due to the lack of blogs and manuscripts that belong to them. Hanging sarcophagi are found in crevices of cliffs or in caves of high hills, which are inaccessible. The researchers suggested that hanging coffins in this way may be related to religious reasons, such as that the dead are close to heaven, or to hide them from the hands of corpse thieves, or perhaps to remain protected from enemies.
4-Ancient Australian Death Rites
The ancient Australian tribes are diverse and each has its own customs and culture that differ from others. For example, one of the tribes used to cook the dead bodies,then collect body fluids and anoint the skin of young men with these fluids, in the belief that it would gain them strength!
Another Australian tribe used to take the dead skulls and turn them into drinking vessels in the long term to keep the memory of the dead alive. Another Australian culture used to dry the dead bodies with the sun and then place them in a gap in a wild tree to keep in touch with the spiritual world through nature.
5-The bizarre funeral rites in Mexico
Perhaps what Mexico is most famous for is its multiculturalism mixed with Roman Catholicism, which means that the way to deal with death was not done with sadness or grief, but through loud celebrations full of colors, known as the "Day of the Dead" celebrations.
During this celebration, the participants wear terrifying costumes and use skulls and bones as ornaments and decorations. In addition, mourning is a reprehensible culture in Mexico. Many Mexican tribes like the Aztecs and Toltecs regard mourning as disrespectful behavior, and death is seen as the first step in a long journey.