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“Making Mobiles” by Karolina Merska: An artist’s manual on how to create beautiful Polish pajaki -
“Hands Up to the Sky” by Michael Franti & Spearhead: A surprisingly upbeat song about acknowledging both loss and the beauty of life -
Coping With Election Grief: While half of Americans are celebrating, the other half are in mourning
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Categories
Tag Archives: Funeral Rites
The Evolution of After-Tears Parties in South Africa
More young people are bucking tradition and mourning loved ones in their own way
Traditions aren’t static. They constantly warp and evolve with every new generation. This is especially true in South Africa, as younger generations living in urban areas have adopted a brand new burial tradition: after-tears parties. An after-tears party is a time … Continue reading
What is an Undertaker? An Interview with Patrick McNally: Part Two
Patrick McNally shares his insights on ritual, art and funerals
Today SevenPonds speaks with Patrick McNally, the inspired real-life funeral director behind the blog The Daily Undertaker, which explores ritual and art surrounding death and dying. In this second part of our two-part interview, Patrick discusses the significance of ritual and how … Continue reading
Annang Funeral Tradition as Rite of Passage
The Annang people of Nigeria understand "good death" as transition to status of ancestor
The Annang people of Southeastern Nigeria consider death to be natural only when someone dies of old age, according to Dominic Umoh, Ph.D., a lecturer at the University of Agriculture in Makurd, Nigeria. If someone dies young from disease or … Continue reading
Relocating China’s Dead
The impact of China's economic and population crises on graves
Back in 2009, hedge fund founder Jim Chanos was convinced that China was in the midst of a major economic bubble. Over the preceding decade, the country had invested in billions of square feet of land, building brand new cities between … Continue reading
Kifudu Funeral Dance of the Giriama People
This African dance brings communities together to send spirits of loved ones to ancestral realms
The Giriama are an agricultural and hunter-gatherer sub-group of the larger Mijikenda ethnic group who live along the coast of Kenya. One of the distinguishing features of their cultural and spiritual life — and a main reason why they were able … Continue reading
Belarusian Death Traditions: Funeral, Food & Family
Belarusian funeral traditions focus on two things: food and family
Belarus is a country whose history and culture remains a mystery to many westerners. As a place nestled between Russia, the Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, Belarus also has a history as a divided country. Yet, it’s precisely this diversity … Continue reading
