Strange and Horrific Burial Practices Around the World

Famadihana
The people of Madagascar practice a burial ceremony known as "turning the bones," where they exhume the remains of their ancestors, wrap them in new clothing and fabrics, and dance with the deceased to live music in a group. This tradition is based on an ancient belief. The people of Madagascar believe that after the body has decomposed and a ritual is performed, the spirits of the dead join their ancestors in the afterlife. This ceremony has become a regular event in Madagascar, typically repeated every seven years, and it gathers relatives.

The ceremony is celebrated both in traditional and urban areas, with greater popularity in tribal regions. Each family carefully protects the bones and burial sites of their ancestors to ensure they can continue to hold this festival. The burial places are seen as a connection between the living and the dead, and relatives dress in their finest clothes and visit the tombs to celebrate and dance.

During this ritual, the flesh of a sacrificed animal is distributed among family and friends, and ritual dances are performed. The main motivation behind the festival has remained unchanged for locals since ancient times, and they believe that through this ceremony, the dead return to God and are reborn. The people of Madagascar regard this tradition as very important, as it is a way to show respect and affection for the deceased, and failing to hold Famadihana, if one is financially capable, is considered an unforgivable sin.

The reasons for the high cost of the ceremony include the expensive silk fabric used to cover the bodies of the dead and the high costs of food for the guests. Another reason is the opposition from some Christian organizations to this ritual. Protestants prohibit the ceremony, while the Catholic Church has no objections.

Tibetan Buddhist Burial
In Tibetan Buddhism, the tradition of "sky burial" involves cutting the deceased’s body into small pieces and leaving it to be consumed by animals, specifically birds. Sometimes, the body is left intact for vultures to feed on. Although this might seem foolish or even repulsive to some, from a Buddhist perspective, it makes perfect sense. Buddhists are not interested in preserving the body after death, as they see it as an empty vessel. In respect for all life, Buddhists believe that the body should be offered to other living beings to continue the cycle of life. This ritual is considered a compassionate act and has been practiced for thousands of years, with over 80% of Tibetans choosing sky burial today.

The Cremation Ceremony in Varanasi
Varanasi, located on the banks of the Ganges River in northern Uttar Pradesh, attracts many tourists and pilgrims from all over the world. Its most famous attraction is the burning ghats of Manikarnika and Harishchandra. Hindus believe that those cremated in this sacred city are freed from the cycle of life, death, and reincarnation. In fact, cremation in Varanasi is so in demand that ceremonies are performed 24/7, every day of the week. On average, 200 bodies are cremated each day. Before cremation, the dead are wrapped in colorful clothes and purified in the Ganges River by male family members. The body is then placed beside the river to dry, before being placed on a pyre made of mango or sandalwood logs, which helps to mask the smell of burning hair. After cremation, the ashes are gathered and scattered in the Ganges River.

Finger Cutting
The Dani tribe in western Papua New Guinea has an unusual burial ritual, though it has been abolished by the government. However, deep in the jungle, it still exists. When a man dies in this community, his wife and sometimes children are required to cut off one of their fingers as an expression of emotional pain and a method of self-purification. The fingers are tightly bound and then chopped off with an axe, and the severed fingers are either stored in a special place or burned.

Cannibalism
One of the strangest and perhaps most terrifying funeral customs came from Papua New Guinea and Brazil, where people ate the bodies of deceased relatives. This inhumane practice, now rarely performed, seems to have originated from communities suffering from malnutrition, who sought alternative ways to fill their stomachs. The deceased’s family would gather around the body and use fire and primitive tools to consume the corpse.

Ashes in Hong Kong
Hong Kong, with its population of over 7.4 million, has become a dense urban area, making burial grounds costly. On average, it costs between 380,000 to 640,000 USD to secure a place for ashes in a burial plot. With 48,000 deaths annually in Hong Kong, 90% are cremated. However, in such a crowded city, one must wait for up to four years to secure a spot, and placing a container of ashes at home is considered a taboo. As a result, in 2005, the government promoted "green cremation," advising families to scatter ashes in one of the 11 designated gardens or in the sea.

Ikwa Ozu
Among the Ibos, a native group in southern Nigeria, death is not seen as an end but as a transition to a new world. The "Ikwa Ozu" ceremony, meaning "celebrating death," is held to mark this transition. The ceremonies vary among communities, but one common feature is the spending of money, livestock, or goods in honor of the deceased. In a ceremony called "Inu Uno Akwa," a person called Ada eats the deceased’s favorite foods in silence to ensure that the deceased’s needs are met in the afterlife. These ceremonies are so costly that families often wait months to hold them.

Hanging Burial
The mysterious Bo people, who once thrived in the Hump Pound Valley of southwestern Gongxian in China, practiced dramatic hanging burials, leaving behind wooden coffins placed around 100 meters above the ground on cliffs and in caves. Today, this tribe is almost forgotten, but their legacy remains in the form of these dramatic burial sites, which are adorned with red paintings depicting their lives. Locals refer to the long-lost civilization as "children of the rocks" and "sky tamers," but the reason for this burial practice remains a mystery.

Fantasy Coffins in Ghana
In Ghana, the dead are placed in coffins that reflect their occupation, hobbies, or personality, in what are known as "fantasy coffins." These coffins come in a variety of shapes and sizes, ranging from colorful shoes and boots to Coca-Cola bottles. This practice has garnered international attention, with notable figures like Kofi Annan and Bill Clinton visiting the coffin workshops. It’s even said that former U.S. President Jimmy Carter purchased two coffins for himself.

Modern Mummies
In Papua New Guinea, the tradition of mummifying the dead still exists, particularly among the Anga people. Unlike the Egyptian mummies, the Anga people preserve their dead by placing them in smoke for three months to dry them out. Once dried, the bodies are placed on a chair and taken to the top of a cliff to look down upon the village and watch over their family.

Sati
Although now banned in India, Sati was once a burial ritual in which widows voluntarily or sometimes forcibly sacrificed themselves by jumping into the funeral pyre of their deceased husbands. This practice is thought to have originated to prevent widows from marrying their wealthy husbands' murderers. Sati was not exclusive to India, as other ancient civilizations, including the Egyptians, Greeks, Goths, and Scythians, practiced a similar ritual.

Viking Burial
The Viking burial ceremony for a tribe leader was incredibly brutal. When a leader died, his body was placed in a temporary grave for ten days. During this time, one of the slave girls would be "volunteered" to join him in the afterlife. The girl was guarded and given copious amounts of wine. When the burial ceremony began, the girl would be sexually assaulted and then strangled to death before being killed by a tribal leader’s dagger. In the end, the leader’s and slave’s bodies would be placed on a burning boat and set adrift.

Totem Burial
Among the Haida people of the Pacific Northwest, totem poles were used to mark burial sites. These totems, which served as guardians for the souls of the deceased, were often intricately designed and represented the spirit journey of the departed. The body of a chief or shaman would be crushed and packed into a wooden box and placed by the totem. Missionaries visiting these tribes often complained about the strong odor of the decaying bodies.

Zoroastrian Burial
The Zoroastrian burial tradition, much like the Tibetan sky burial, involves placing the dead on a "Tower of Silence" to be consumed by birds, as the Zoroastrians believe that death is impure and burying the dead on the ground defiles the earth. The Zoroastrian religion, which originated in ancient Iran, has Tower of Silence structures in parts of Yazd, though the practice was outlawed in 1349. However, it continues in Mumbai, India, the second largest center of the Zoroastrian community.

Indigenous Australian Burial
In traditional Indigenous Australian funeral rites, family members would often keep the bones of the deceased as a memorial. The body would be placed on a raised platform and left to decompose, a process that could take months. The remains would be collected, often painted in red, and

kept in sacred caves or burial sites. This practice continues today, albeit with more modern variations.

Final Words
From body sacrifices to extravagant cremation pyres, from burial rituals to post-death memorials, these burial traditions represent diverse beliefs and attitudes about life, death, and the afterlife. While some of these practices seem strange or even unsettling, they offer fascinating insights into the way human beings have understood and grappled with death throughout history.