Celebrate death in different cultures

Some of the most popular death celebrations have taken place in recent days. October 31 was Halloween and November 1 and 2 was Día de los Muertos. We wanted to delve deeper into how people celebrate death among different cultures and religions. To start, we’ve compiled interviews and information to better observe three different cultural celebrations around their deceased.

The day of the Dead

El Día de los Muertos, also known as the Day of the Dead, is a Mexican celebration that takes place on the first two days of November. According to National Geographic, the Day of the Dead originated several thousand years ago with the Nahua people, indigenous to Mexico and El Salvador. However, with the influence of Catholicism, the celebration evolved into the truly unique holiday it is today.

Abril Castaneda, a student at Ball State and a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, told us more about the celebration. She said tradition allows families to “welcome back the souls of deceased relatives… to celebrate and recognize our deceased loved ones”.

But there’s more than that – according to History.com, the Gates of Heaven open at midnight on November 1 for children to reunite with their families for the day, el Dia de los Inocentes (Children’s Day), or All Saints Day. The same thing happens at midnight the next day, November 2, for the adults to come back and reunite with their families, known as All Souls Day.

The celebrations Castaneda attended consisted of telling stories, eating together and listening to his family’s favorite songs: “My favorite part of the celebration is having the favorite foods and offerings on the tombstone or on the ofrendas. . The decorations are beautiful with all the marigolds and candles surrounding the offerings.

An oferenda, as defined by Inside Mexico, is an altar, not for worship but to “remember and honor the memory of their ancestors”. Different objects adorn the altar; including, but not limited to, candles which represent the light of Christ, colored tissue paper which represents joy and brightly colored worries, as Castaneda explains, “are meant to celebrate life and victory of Christ on death “.

Han Sang / Qingming

Qingming, also known as Tomb Sweeping Day or Pure Brightness Festival, is a celebration between April 3 and 5, during which families go to the cemetery where their loved ones rest to pay their respects.

For Bayden Jung, whose family is from southern China and currently lives in Columbus, Ohio, this celebration is called Han Sang. In his experience, everyone at the cemetery is invited to eat together, and to honor him, the family bows three times and sticks incense on the gravestones.

This celebration of life is an important part of Chinese culture. “This is very important to me… my grandmother and loved ones teach our family history as we travel through graves and find our ancestors. Bayden goes on to say that Han Sang is respectful and calming, but this should not be mistaken for sadness, “There is a pretty neutral attitude towards the event but [it’s] very festive!

According to China.org, “Families sweep the graves of their loved ones and offer sacrifices … like food, flowers and favorites of the dead.” This celebration also welcomes spring; Prior to 1979, Qingming and Arbor Day settled on the same day because the warm weather made it the perfect time to plant trees.

For Bayden, who didn’t grow up in China, Han Sang is an integral part of his culture. “It’s a way for me to learn more about my own story and that of others. [It’s] extremely important to me and my Chinese identity.

Samhain

According to history.com, Samhain is a “pagan religious holiday from an ancient Celtic spiritual tradition.” It took place during the harvest season, between the fall equinox and the winter solstice, usually between October 31 and November 1.

Meanwhile, the Celts who celebrated Samhain (pronounced SOW-in) believed that it was time for the spiritual and physical worlds to no longer separate.

It is said that there are many different aspects to this ancient celebration. Some of these different traditions include heavy drinking, building thrones for military personnel, and sacrificing cattle. But the most relevant aspect was the belief that their ancestors could return to visit the physical world.

When Christianity began to take precedence over paganism, the church imposed new Christian ideas on Samhain. At first, the festival itself was moved to May by Pope Boniface to the 5th century to celebrate saints and martyrs. Then the ninth-century Pope Gregory postponed it to November 1 and 2, but declared the celebration of All Saints and All Saints.

Like the Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos, All Saints and All Saints are celebrations organized to pray and honor the deceased.

But Samhain has stayed relatively true to his original intention. Over the years, traditions such as dressing up as monsters to prevent fairies and witches from kidnapping them and going door to door singing songs to the dead for a cake quickly turned into what we call today Halloween.

Often religions have more guidelines and traditions surrounding death than cultural celebrations. These cultural celebrations may have some overlap with the dominant religion that exists in places that celebrate these holidays.

Here are four different religions and their unique traditions:

Hinduism

Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world, with over 1.2 billion followers. Celebrating death in this religion is quite unique, as Hindus do not believe in the resurrection of the physical body. Typically, bodies are cremated due to the belief that when a person dies, their soul, which represents them, either leaves or separates. Because the body has no meaning, little effort is made to preserve it.

While some Hindus bury their dead, the body is usually cremated, the ashes are collected and then distributed on the fourth day in a sacred body of water or other important place for the deceased.

Islam

Unlike Hindu rituals surrounding death, Islam dictates that bodies are buried almost immediately after death. For this reason, there will be no waking, viewing or visiting. Muslims believe that there will be a physical resurrection of the body on the day of judgment, faith forbids cremation.

The body is cleaned and covered with a sheet by family members shortly after the death. As in prayer, the hands are joined. The body is then taken to a mosque, where the funeral will take place. The whole congregation, including the deceased, faces Mecca, the holiest place in Islam. The imam, or religious leader, leads the funeral prayers. As a rule, women and children are not allowed to attend the funeral, but some Muslim communities allow their presence. While the body is lowered into the ground, it is customary for each participant to throw three handfuls of soil into the grave. After the funeral, flowers are sent to the family home. There is a 40 day mourning phase during which flowers and food are welcome.

Christianity

Typically in Christianity the body is buried. Unlike the death rituals in Hinduism, cremation is strictly prohibited in Christianity because it is believed to interfere with the resurrection. However, over time these restrictions relaxed and, in Catholic tradition, cremated remains are still buried. Other Christian sects allow not to bury the ashes, while some have strict rules against their dispersal. One of the most common rituals after funerals and burials is to get together for a feast. There are many traditions, customs and rituals of mourning due to the diversity of Christian beliefs, such as the aforementioned Día de los Muertos.

People usually gather at the graves of their deceased relatives in Christian culture on the anniversary of their death or on important holidays.

Judaism

Many of Judiasim’s ritualistic death practices have their roots in the Bible. A widespread tradition is the tearing (kriah) of a garment or ribbon. Traditionally, this is the immediate family of the deceased. How Kriah is performed depends on whether one is an Orthodox, Modern, or Reform Jew. After Kriah is completed, a rabbi will recite a special version of the Kaddish prayer. Then the mourners participate in covering the coffin with earth. Like other Abrahamic religions, cremation is prohibited in Judaism because of the sacredness of the human body.

Characteristic image of the Atlantic

Sources: National Geographic, History.com, Inside Mexico, Qingming, Studycli, China.org, history.com, Dummies, Memorialplanning, Cake, Myjewishlearning, AM Israel Mortuary