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Welcome to the SevenPonds.com blog – a community-driven extension of SevenPonds.com! I hope you find comfort and community in the resources and stories featured here. I’m always happy to hear from readers and can be reached at suzette@sevenponds.com.
FEATURED
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Mary Oliver’s “Heavy” Speaks to the Weight of Grief:
The poet eloquently conveys the dizzying effect of loss -
Did Our Ancestors Leave Behind a Map of the Afterlife?:
New archaeological discoveries suggest a link between ancient monuments and burial sites -
My Dear Cousin Is Still An Angel at My Side:
The story of a young woman who, at 12-years-old, lost a cousin who was also a best friend
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Categories
Tag Archives: Funeral Rites
Exploring the Traditions of Greece
How a funeral rite has outlasted the centuries
One of the most seldom discussed funeral rites in our culture happens to be one of the most ancient. What started in 1100 B.C. Greece is still largely practiced today. In archaic times, Greeks either buried or cremated their loved … Continue reading
Fearing the Return of the Dead in Romani Burial Traditions
Romani funeral traditions are heavily influenced by beliefs in the supernatural
Romani funeral traditions are characterized by abundance. Enormous, full of relatives, public mourning and solemn ritual, their burial rites amount to a massive procession taken very seriously by everyone involved. Their zeal may arise from a widespread belief in the … Continue reading
Traditional Inheritance and Burial Rites of the Maasai People
Traditional practices of ‘The Father’s Chest’ and Predator Burials in Maasai culture
For the Maasai people, death does not traditionally hold any secrets of the afterlife. Once an individual has passed, their journey has ended. All of their possessions and any of their sins are transferred to the loved ones who survive … Continue reading
Posted in Cultural Perspectives
Tagged African death rituals, Cattle, Death, Death Rituals, Funeral Rites, Inheritance, Kenya, Maasai, Maasai people, Ngai, predator burial, Tanzania, the father's chest, Tradition
6 Comments
Bringing the Spirit Home in Xhosa Burial Rituals
How the funeral rites of the Xhosa people of South Africa can transform a spirit into an ancestral guide
For most people, the culture, traditions, and even the existence of the Xhosa people would have remained unknown were it not for the death of anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela. Although the world will mourn his loss for years to come, with … Continue reading
The Jamaican Tradition of Nine Nights
A glimpse at this interesting funeral rite
Similar to the concept of a wake, in Jamaica (and other parts of the Caribbean), there is a funerary tradition known as the “Nine Nights,” or “Nine-Night,” in which the family and friends of a person who has died gather … Continue reading
Posted in Cultural Perspectives
Tagged Funeral Practices, Funeral Rites, Funerary Traditions, Jamaica, Nine Nights, Nine-Night
9 Comments
A Coffin Design that Facilitates a Family’s Right to Say Goodbye
The Disaster Coffin replaces the body bag and allows families to perform funeral rites
Hungarian designer Adam Miklosi has created a brilliant design that finds the ultimate balance between aesthetics and function. His LR16 Disaster Coffin addresses the need for a mass-production casket that allows for the facilitation of dignified funeral rituals. Traditionally, in … Continue reading
Posted in Soulful Expressions
Tagged Art, Burial, Coffin, Death, Design, Family, Funeral, Funeral Rites, Natural burial
4 Comments