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4 very different funeral customs around the world
All around the world, different countries and cultures celebrate the passing of their loved ones life with extraordinary rituals. Take a look at these funeral celebrations from all over the globe.
1. Ghana
In Ghana, fantasy coffins are used to bury loved ones. These larger than life coffins usually reflect a person’s profession or personality – carpenters in workshops create everything from bespoke bibles, giant fish, aeroplanes and beer bottles across Ghana. This tradition dates back to the 1950’s by the Ga tribe who see funerals as a celebration of life opposed to the mourning of life. The Ga people believe that there is an afterlife and these fantasy coffins help transport the dead to their new life.
2. America
In America there is the option of turning your loved one into a ring after they have passed. Using a lock of hair or the cremated ashes of your loved one, LifeGem produced memorial diamonds, which can be placed on a ring or necklace.
3. Bali
In Bali, on the Hindu Isle, fire is considered to be the vehicle to the next life. After someone has passed, their body is bathed and laid out on a table with food offerings laid aside them for their journey. The body is then buried in a mass grave with others from the same village until there is a sufficient number of bodies to hold a cremation.
The bodies are then unearthed, cleaned and stacked on an elaborate float, which has been decorated with flowers by the entire village. The float is paraded through the village to the central square where it is set on fire. This marks the beginning of a spiritual transformation for the deceased, and a feast is held to honour and remember the dead.
4. Hawaii
In some of the Hawaiian Islands, a traditional burial is one that takes place in a cave – the body is placed in the foetal position and covered with a tapa cloth made from the bark of a mulberry bush. The bones are considered sacred and believed to have divine power. Many caves in Hawaii still contain skeletons from previous burials.
