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| Asia :::::::::: Israel While Jewish customs are practiced all over the world, Judaism is the predominate religion in Israel. Typically, the synagogue will take over many of the arrangements. Jewish burials take place as quickly as possible, following a principle of honoring the dead (k'vod hamet). Most organized communities offer a sacred burial society (Chevra Kaddisha), which will prep the body. The body is dressed in white burial shrouds (tachrichim), which are kept simple so that both rich and poor are not presented differently. Men are buried with their prayer shawls (tallits), which are rendered ineffective by cutting off one of the fringes. Jewish funerals are traditionally very simple and brief affairs. At the cemetery, another custom in traditional funerals is to stop seven times, as the coffin is carried to the grave, to recite Psalm 91. Once the coffin is lowered into the grave, family and friends cover the coffin with handfuls of dirt. After the burial, it is traditional for the family of the deceased to sit Shiva (in mourning) for seven days, Pakistan A mostly Muslim nation, Pakistanis see death as a temporary separation from their loved once, with the dead coming back to life on Judgment Day. After the death, the family ties a white cloth around the deceased's thumb and places a shroud called a Kafan over the body with a green chadal (or veil) over the face, which is decorated with roses and burning agilwood. A minaret player, who plays from the tower of the nearest mosque, announces the death to the public. After the prayer ceremony in the mosque, the body is carried on the mourners' shoulders to the graveyard to be buried in the ground with the head facing Mecca. During the graveyard ceremony, called Salat al yjana, soil is placed on the body, and the opening chapter of the Qu'ran is read. Oftentimes after the final burial, the congregation recites the following: "All that dwells upon this earth is perishing, yet still abides the face of the lord, majestic and splendid." Tibet Various customs are found in this territory currently under Chinese rule. While religious monks are often enshrined in pagodas, mummified or cremated, Sky Burials are often common among the masses and water burial for the diseased and children. The sky burial service is called a Poa, during which the soul is transferred out of the body to another world. During the mourning period, a bowl that the deceased used is kept full of food by his pillow and the family avoids washing their face and wearing jewelry. Before the funeral the deceased legs are tied in a sitting position and then the body is placed on a stand in the corner of the house. Funerals typically start at 4 am, the hour of the tiger. After the prayer a piece of flesh is cut from the back of the body, which is then turned on its back as the stomach and chest are chopped apart. This flesh is then tied to a post with rope and then packed in barley flour to be eaten by hungry vultures. Nepal In this small Himalayan nation if the dying individual has expressed a desire to die by the holy Pakmati River they are transferred there until they die. At the moment of death, the body is moistened with water from the holy river. The priests and their helpers then begin to file into the deceased's home in their ceremonial garb. Thus begins a three-day vigil over the dead body, which is very important for Buddhists in Nepal, who believe that upon death the soul leaves the earthly body and hovers around it for three days. During this time the soul may decide to reunite with the body causing resurrection. For these three days the priests chant in unison, ring bells and beat drums. Oil lamps and incense are burned in front of the image of Buddha that is placed next to the body. While Buddhists traditionally bury their dead, Hindu influence and lack of space have made cremation more common. Once it is time for the final ceremony, the unclothed body is covered with firewood and the eldest son inserts a small, ignited piece of firewood into the deceased mouth. Only one meal is typically allowed during the mourning period, and after thirteen days mourners may once again shave. India India is a nation made up of many religions including: Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Jains. Therefore, generalizing on Indian traditions is impossible. Hindu: After death the family leaves the house and faces south to pray, which is where death resides. If the deceased is a woman, the body is wrapped in a white cloth and then a red cloth. The funeral ceremony takes place outside when the body is placed on the funeral bier. Then, the family places water from the Ganges River on the dead person's mouth and chant mantras. The body is then cremated. When a parent dies, the eldest son must light the pyre. If it's a child, the father lights it. If a young child dies the body is often tied to a rock and placed in a river without being cremated. Typically the mourning period will end after just 11 days, when the body ascends into heaven. Parsi-Zoroastrian: All but the face is covered in white cloth then it is placed on a dirt floor, for a body is considered the most defiled thing in life. The body is then bathed in the urine (Taro) of a special white bull - an ancient Indo-European or Aryan method of purification and the clothes are destroyed. New Sudreh-Kusti is tied on the body - the Sudreh being a religious garment, the Kusti an ancient mark of the Aryan people, a religious woolen cord tied around the waist. The special corpse bearers now put the corpse on a marble stone. Fire is kept alongside burning with sandalwood, and a Diva (lamp) is also lighted. The Dastur (Zoroastrian fire-priest) now comes and intones special prayers in the ancient Aryan language of Aves By the evening or the morning of the next day, the Dasturs (priests) pray the GEH-SARNA ceremony. As per the Vendidad, the soul wanders near the body for the first three days as a newborn, susceptible to the threats of evil spirits. Mourners in white follow the procession to Dakhma, where the body is then taken to the Silent Tower to be eaten by vultures. Sikh: To a Sikh, birth and death are closely related, because they are both part of human life cycle, Ava Guvan, which is seen an in between stage towards Nirvana. Displays of grief at a funeral and crying are frowned upon because a soul never dies. Sikhism believes in the afterlife, where the souls move towards the supreme soul. Prior to cremation, the body will be bathed and dressed in fresh clothes complete with the Five K's (kesh or hair; Kanga or comb; kara or wrist bracelet; kachha or underpants; kirpan or steel sword). The bathing of the body is usually done the night before the funeral. After cremation the ashes are to be scattered in running water or the sea. Bhutan When someone dies in this small Asian nation, situated between the borders of India and China, white flags - called Darshins - are raised at the home of the deceased and must number the same as their age. There are no graves for Bhutans - except for their Lama monks - and all ashes are scattered. Some of these ashes made in to balls called "tuatua" and enshrined in a Buddhist pagoda. However, if it was an abnormal death or accident, the body is buried deep in the ground. China China, the world's most populous nation, has many varying and diverse traditions, but in the mainly Buddhist country funeral ceremonies, traditionally last over 49 days, the first seven days being the most important. In rural areas the body is buried little by little over three months until it is completely covered. Often the position of the grave is determined by ying-yang geomancy. In the capitol, Beijing, many funerals are held in the Babaoshan Revolution Public Cemetery where the bones are kept in a locker-style niche with the dead person pictures. At the wake prior to the funeral ceremony, joss paper and prayer money (to provide the deceased with sufficient income in the afterlife) are burned continuously throughout. During the wake there will usually be seen a group of people gambling in the front courtyard of the deceased's house because the corpse has to be 'guarded' and gambling helps the guards stay awake during their vigil; it also helps to lessen the grief of the participants. After the funeral the body is often now cremated. This Babaoshan Cemetery takes almost two thirds of the cities funerals. Since 1995, a Mortuary Regulation encouraging cremation over burial has been enforced because of the nation's population density. The Chinese belief holds that seven days after the death of a family member the soul of the departed will return to his/her home. A red plaque with suitable inscription may be placed outside the house at this time to ensure the soul does not become lost. North Korea National policy currently frowns upon religious organizations, so funerals have become very small affairs, with many restrictions. Money for the funeral often comes from a community budget and a truck is used to transport the body. Most decoration customs have been discarded and most mourners now wear casual clothes with just black belts. Koreans believe that if a person died because of either illness or from natural causes outside the home, the deceased spirit will wander, eventually becoming a ghost or, kaekkwi. To ensure that their dead would not become wandering ghosts, family members take many safety measures, including being present during the last moments. When death finally comes those who are present at the time wail (or KOK) their sorrows. While mourning is a means of expressing sorrow at funerals, it also suggests the guilt of mourners who believe that it was because of their lack friendship toward the deceased, which had caused his or her passing. Bathed and combed, the corpse is dressed in suui, or the traditional death dress, which is made from either hemp or silk. Japan Thanks to population regulations, the interment of entire bodies is prohibited in Japan, as a result most are cremated with the remains being mostly interred in family tombs or repositories. In the Buddhist tradition, the body is laid out with the head facing north and with a picture of the deceased and a bowl full of rice with the chopsticks stuck vertically into it are set out on the altar. During the ceremony the dead is given a posthumous name that is written on a wooden tablet. The dead are remembered yearly for 33 years, at which time the soul is assimilated into the collective ancestral soul. If the deceased is a man, the body is dressed in a suit, and a kimono if it's a woman. A cosmetics specialist from the mortuary will also put make-up on the body as necessary. The body is then taken to the place where the wake service is to be held. Taiwan Traditionally, if a person reaches 80 the death is considered a happy one, as their life has run its course. In these cases the color red is worn, not black. The funeral procession is a large event lead by a band, like an event, and meant to entertain watchers. Based on Yin Yang geomancy it is customary to bury bodies in a mountain graveyard in a grave made from concrete or stone in the shape of a horseshoe. The deceased's home is renamed the House of Light while their grave is called the House of Shade, and people often spend a lot of money for graves in the shade. The burial date is often chosen by fortuneteller and at the funeral paper money, clothes and a model home are burned, so that the dead in the land of the dead may use them. The Ching Ming Festival or Tomb-Sweeping Festival in Taiwan is a traditional festival and a national holiday (as it coincides with the date of death of the famed President Chiang Kai-Shek) and is usually celebrated on April 5th, although the dates may vary from district to district. It is a time for families to gather, visit the grave of their loved ones and pay their respects. Offerings of golden slips of paper money are laid on the tops of the graves. Paper money is again burned so that the smoke will carry the essence of the money to the ancestors in the spirit world. Lighting firecrackers and peeling a duck egg and placing it on the tombstone expresses renewal. Cambodia A funeral in Cambodia goes for about seven days but there are those that have lasted up to a hundred. On the day of the funeral there is a procession. The family typically travels on an open car with the monks and the coffin. There is a megaphone that plays music, as the procession travels to the pagoda. Family members and friends walk behind the car, some with gifts for the monks, and others with incense and dropping pieces of paper. Funeral mourners usually wear white to the ceremony. At the funeral itself, the family gathers around the coffin and walks around it hand in hand numerous times while the monk prays. A picture of the deceased is put in front of the coffin and the family members take turns bowing before it, praying for forgiveness from the deceased for anything they may have done to them during their life. During the ceremony the monk - or bhikhu - recites sutras at which time one end of a thread is tied to the deceased's hand and the other to the his own. After cremation, they wait about a half an hour and then the ashes are placed in a container and given to the family to take home. The son in the family of the deceased is often required to shave all of his hair and become a monk for seven days. During the week of the funeral many people will stay up late out of fear that the spirit or ghost of the departed would appear to them in the darkness of night; they stay happy and merry during this time to ward it off. Vietnam In this Far East Asian nation, mourning begins even before death arrives. When death is about to take place, the entire family assembles around the dying family member and a period of strict silence begins. At this time, the eldest child suggests a name for the soon to be deceased, as it is considered bad luck to continue using the same name in the afterlife. Men usually take the name "Trung," which means faithfulness or "True," which means loyalty. Women are usually called "Trinh," meaning devotion or "Thuan," meaning harmony. A chopstick is then placed between the teeth of the deceased, while the body on a mat in the hopes that it will come back to life. Next, traditionally the eldest son or daughter to take a shirt belonging to the deceased wave it in the air and call upon the soul of the dead to return to the body. After this rite has been completed, the descendants then cleanse the body, which symbolizes washing off the dust of the terrestrial world. Money, gold and rice are placed in the mouth of the dead to indicate that the deceased has left this world wanting for nothing. The corpse is then wrapped in white cloth and placed in a coffin. During the mourning period the family of the deceased wear special mourning clothes made of crepe with a seam in the middle of the back. Bali The funeral tradition in Tana Toraja, a region in South Sulawesi, reflects a mix of Balinese mourning and wealth. Family members host a series of ceremonies that typically last for many days before the body is transferred to the burial site. The family of the deceased should provide scores of buffaloes and pigs for the ceremony, which begins when funeral visitors arrive for the buffalo slaughtering. The deceased is stored in Tongkonan, or house - with his or her family. To Torajans, the dead person isn't actually deemed dead - just suffering from an illness -until the first buffalo is sacrificed, at which point their spirit can begin its journey to the Land of Souls. The heads of the buffaloes and their horns are placed in front of the house of the kin. The more horns that adorn the house, the higher the status of the deceased. |