Tag Archives: Funeral customs

The Spirit of The Dead According To Ojibwe Beliefs

Lee Staples, Ojibwe spiritual leader, facilitates traditional funerals on the Mille Lacs and Fond du Lac Reservations

Lee Staples, a spiritual leader for the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation in Central Minnesota, says that one must understand Ojibwe beliefs about life in order to understand Ojibwe beliefs about death. “We have within us Anishinaabe spirit, and we just … Continue reading

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Professional Pallbearers Dance the Dead Out in Style

Cross-continental tradition honours the dead with coffin choreography

If you attend a funeral in parts of West Africa and the Southern United States, you may witness some fancy footwork by professional pallbearers who specialize in dancing with the dead. These dancing pallbearers often sing gospel or other sacred … Continue reading

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Death Warmed Over: Funeral Food, Rituals, and Customs from Around the World by Lisa Rogak

One woman’s idea for a cookbook is more like a glimpse into the customs that various cultures partake in surrounding food during funerals

One evening, as I was trying to research the Internet for a topic for my Cultural Perspectives article, I stumbled upon a book called Death Warmed Over: Funeral Food, Rituals, and Customs from Around the World. The concept intrigued me … Continue reading

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The Traditional Funeral Food Superstitions and Customs of France’s Brittany Region

An exploration into the various traditional superstitions and customs surrounding funeral food for the Bretons in France

The Breton people from the Brittany region in northwestern France possess many fascinating traditional superstitions and customs when it comes to food and its significance with deaths and funerals. Brittany’s beliefs about death can be traced back to their Celtic … Continue reading

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When Convenience Meets Funerals

Drive-thru funerals slowly becoming an option geared towards African-Americans in the US

Americans relish the freedom to choose how to cope with the deaths of loved ones as well as the types of funerals with which honor them. It’s hardly surprising that a culture which embraces any new convenience, such as fast … Continue reading

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Cliff Burials of Ancient China

The ancient funeral custom calls to mind a modern perspective on grief and loss.

These magnificent hanging coffins or “cliff burials” are an ancient custom most widely practiced by the Bo people of southern China. The caskets are carved from a single whole piece of wood and either placed in small caves on the … Continue reading

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