The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

Welcome. I am looking for morbid facts about death.

Peculiar rites, and bizarre rituals. Current, or ancient. Dig em up online, and post them to share.

Dead Beat Tenants? Evict em'!

http://imgur.com/a/rfVtA

To me this is usury at it's finest. maybe a few people have worked the system. But does that seriously warrant such actions?

In my culture in the past when someone died they were always buried at night and only a few warriors were present. They were buried in ground and then the grave covered by heavy rocks so animals could not get at the remains. One of the customs that is still praticed today is the name of the dead is not spoken as it is a belief it would confuse the departed there spirits, by his/her journey to the spirit world if they herd there names thier spirits would be called back to the land of the living.

For a warrior it was also common his horse being killed and buried with him as well as his bow, his belongings. In many Native cultures death by hanging was a horrible death/morbid because the belief was the spirit could not leave the body. Thus when Indians were hung it was seen as a horrible death trapping the spirit within the body forever. President Abraham Lincoln ordered the largest mass exaction in US history when he order the hanging of : thirty-eight Dakota Indians . There was a plea made not to hang them because of the beliefs death by hanging but of course that was ignored.

http://www.thenation.com/blog/171920/largest-mass-execution-us-history-150-years-ago-today#

Of course too during winters for some nations where the ground would freeze the remains were put into caves and the entrances closed up. You make do with what you could. One of the first to report of the life style of apache was John C. Cremony which in 1820 he did a article for some paper. He lived with the apache. One day this apache woman died in camp. He asked the Chief Gian-nah-tah if there would be much lamentation. The Chief simply smiled at the idea, and replied: "It was a woman; her death is of no account."

I think death is part of the natural cycle.

Being somewhat of an animals rights advocate - and an agnostic - I think animal sacrifice in some beliefs is ridiculous. Human sacrifice hasn't helped anyone over the ages, so why do the critters have to suffer? They are usually judged as less valuable than humans, so how does their blood, etc help?

I'm not sure if it's Voodoo or some form of Santeria, but where I live, I've seen small dead animals in weird spots on the street. They are usually birds, but I've seen a kitten, and various rodents. They are all black, and have flowers, candles, and other crap displayed with them. It makes me angry, to say the least.

Tibetan Sky Burials are a necessary ritual for the mountains because the ground is obviously not an option, and trees are scarce if not nonexistent. So they have a designated undertaker (because Buddhist faith does not allow them to perform the task) that dismembers the corpse, and feeds it to the Vultures in much the same way as the Indian subculture mentioned above (though there is no shortage of their vultures).

The Egyptian Book of the Dead, has some interesting stuff to read about death.

Attached is a link to ten somewhat unorthodox funeral traditions. Some a little more strange than others. A couple on the list which may be considered horrible in Western culture actually make sense, like sky burial.

http://www.wonderslist.com/10-bizarre-funeral-traditions-world/

darn that link is not coming thru.

There is also a post mentioning Sky Burial. I look forward to reading the article though.

Thanks for sharing.

http://www.wonderslist.com/10-bizarre-funeral-traditions-world/

I just copied and pasted into my browser and the page came up. Not sure why it might not have been working. Pasted the link again at the top of this post.

it went that time. Did you know that India is actually having a crisis because the vultures a dropping from a chemical induced sickness ?

I had not heard about the vultures in India. Interesting and sad.

In my country almost everyone has a Catholic ceremony as it is the only accepted belief. After the ceremony, there's the burial. There are no refreshments or parties. This is not strange at all.

However even though it wasn't morbid, in the past the ceremony was more dramatic and theatral. I heard they used to hire women to cry, the family of the deseased wore black for 3 years, neighbours cooked meals for the family for 3 days, the tomb was carried through the whole village with a crowd behind it, and other things I can't remember.

I have read about that. Italians families are also known to hire mourners for funerals. I suspect it may be a Mediterranean cultural practice.

Could be, considering I am indeed Mediterranean. Cultures tend to be similar in countries near each other.

The ancient Egyptians may have started the trend, as their funeral processions included people who cried, put dirt on their heads, etc. (I'm assuming that this was something that only wealthy families could afford).

The sky burials are the death rituals performed by those of the Zoroastrian faith. The majority of them are in India, Iran (where it began), and believe it or not - the US.
I wonder how their burials are allowed/sanctioned by the laws in the US...
Apologies for going slightly off-topic!

I can't find the info online - plus I saw this on the History Channel a few years go - but there was a ritual in a sub-Saharan African country where the family keeps the dead at home, fully clothed, until the stench becomes unbearable. Then the dead are finally buried. Ugh!

Sky burials are a very interesting concept. Since I didn't see anyone actually explain it in the thread, here's a brief synopsis:

A human corpse (usually adults only) is taken out to a sacred spot and the flesh is cut in specific places while monks chant and burn incense. The body is then actually dismembered and the pieces are left for birds to devour. Once the flesh has been eaten, the bones are then smashed to bits, mixed with tsampa or milk, and fed to the birds.

The process of cutting up the body is done lightheartedly because, according to tradition, it makes it easier for the soul to leave. Sadness can cause a soul to remain on earth because it feels like it must stay to comfort the sad/crying person.

The purpose is to show the impermanence of life and the act of offering one's body to the living (the vultures) is seen as kind and generous.

The earliest known reference to the current practice comes from the Bardo Thodol (Tibetan Book of the Dead) which was written in the 12th Century. However, the rite has evolved over time and has come to mean different things. It is likely it began as a matter of practicality, a way to dispose of the dead in a clean fashion since cremation is difficult due to the lack of trees in Tibet and burying the dead is almost impossible thanks to permafrost and a rocky terrain.

A morbid fact about Everest is the Rainbow Valley so named for the colors of parkas, and jackets of hikers that die, and become part of the permafrost of the mountain. Since this is in the Death Zone (a formidable altitude) it is impractical to retrieve the bodies. Even Mallory, the first failed attempt to summit Everest is still where he lay when he died. In a way being left on the mountain is proper, and fitting. There was even a controversy that arouse when a party came across a seriously distressed climber that had made summit while going through a lax, and low budget expedition company, he had no oxygen, and no radio. On his way back down he sat for a rest (in a Cave cropping called Green Boots Cave) in such conditions such inaction is very dangerous. He was found, and noticed to be breathing by the passing party. Yet they could technically do nothing for him, so they continued on their way. Upon their way back he was found to still be faintly breathing, however they had another party member who was encountering problems. Sharapas (guides) went so far as to try to move him, and gave him oxygen. But the effort alone at the altitude, and record conditions exasperated them quickly.

The expedition took much flack, especially the New Zealand double amputee that was part of the party. While the party was so criticized no one (except the hikers) made any mention as to the irresponsibility of the Low Budget Expedition Company that green lighted his bid.. for 5000 dollars.. while the average fully prepared Expeditions range around 10 thousand to 50 thousand. 5000 is simply enough to cover base camp fees, and permit.

Fact:

Christian and Catholics visit the remains of their buried dead relatives and bring them offerings of flowers and other tokens.

So do Jews (stones), and many, many others.

One Jewish superstition is that by placing a stone (just a small rock/pebble) on a grave they're helping to keep a soul stuck in the ground so it can't haunt/harm the living. The most common idea behind it, however, is that the stone represents the permanence of memory (while life is temporary). There are some other meanings attached to the tradition, but I personally prefer the remembrance one.

Our family tradition going from Romania through Spain and finally to Veracruz, Mexico has probably gone through changing rituals. Now there is a black tie funeral followed by a first class wake which can last until the alcohol runs out. The wakes are not always unhappy events as stories and memories of the dead are recited. Sometimes these stories are hilarious. It is a time for binding the living together in memory of the dead and lasting friendships and lovers can be found at a good wake. I understand that the drinking part of the wake used to be separate from where the women mourned. THAT would have been a mournful and lamenting wake indeed. Finally, in a closing note, I should mention that Catholic wakes are probably the best places to pick up and bed a Woman who would otherwise NEVER even consider having sex outside of marriage. They are both mournful and DRUNK and in need of companionship on a personal level.
But I digress. The bodies are washed and these days among the more to do, handled by a mortician. Among thee poor, the body is placed upon a table, usually in the kitchen, washed and Kennedy half dollars placed over the eyes to keep the eyelids down. Then a small procession goes to the church where the body is placed in front of the altar and a service is conducted.
Sometimes a witch will remove a Man's testicles while the body is on the kitchen table so that she can hold the interests of the entire family through a spell. The old women always guard the body to see that a witch doesn't remove them. Before the funeral. To visit a grave, flowers are brought, but the burning of candles and sometimes even a small Virgin of Guadalupe monument is erected just for the sake of burning candles in memory of the dead.

I like that the stone represents the permanence of memory (while life is temporary) meaning.

The other one about keeping the ghost in the ground is kind of weird and creepy and sort of undignified. :)

Sin Eaters are rather interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin-eater

It is a tradition in my family to pass on the responsibility of cleaning off both the graves and the plot their on. We all share the task of decorating the graves based on the person or leaving flowers as well as other items in remembrance. Usually, if it is a traditional grave we will plant flowers on them. We clear the weeds and wipe off the stones, and sometimes leave little trinkets for the person. Say an angel, if the person liked them, such as my one grandmother did.

Not too long ago, my mother and I went to my great grandmother Agnes' cemetery and cleaned off her grave stone. We planted a hosta off to the side of it and some petunias in front of it. It was funny, but we have a good amount of hunters among that side of the family. My mother and I had a good laugh after I came home a few days later as a deer came and ate the entire hosta. We figured out a new plant to use, but it made a good memory and reminded us of my grandmother.