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Customs
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Until outlawed by the British in the 19th century, suttee, the burning of a widow on her husband’s funeral pyre, was a custom in India for centuries.
The Parsee religious community places their dead on platforms, called towers of silence for them to be picked over by vultures.
It was an ancient custom in England for people who had committed suicide to be buried in unconsecrated ground at crossroads, or on the north side of churchyards. A stake driven through their bodies was thought to stop their spirits rising up and haunting the neighbourhood.
Jews are buried facing Jerusalem, while Muslims face Mecca.
After cremation, Hindus like to scatter the ashes of the person on a river or the sea.
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Previous:
Back
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Book:
Horrible but True
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Section:
History
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Chapter:
Last Rites
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