Death And Dying Practices


Around the world many people have traditions for death as much as they do for birth and for life. Death is not necessarily an ending for many people around the world and is in fact a beginning to another life. That being said there are also many different dying practices around the world for different cultures based on their beliefs.

For those who believe that they come back to this world or go into the afterlife they may require the whole of their body to do so. If they are not buried with their body in one piece and are missing something such as a limb or a head then they will enter into the afterlife as such and will not have the necessary body parts. In Jewish culture dying is considered a normal part of life which leads the dead into the next life. However it is against the religion of Judaism to perform autopsies without religious personnel on hand or to otherwise maim the body. In ancient cultures there was a toll to pay when crossing into the next life which necessitated the placement of two gold coins over the eyes of the dead. After that was done the bodies were placed in a boat and set sail as an archer released an arrow that was alight to land on the boat and set the boat and body on fire.

Some cultures such as the bushmen in Africa lack official ceremonies like those of Western cultures and will merely wander off as their time comes and leave the tribe to continue walking. They sense when their time is coming and as they begin to present a burden to the tribe and find themselves unable to continue the treks of normal life they simply sit down and rest out their final days until they pass.

In many modern Western cultures the ceremonies that take place for those who have died are often based on the religion of the deceased and their final wishes. Those who are dying can provide instructions for what they want done with their remains and their belongings after death. It is quite normal to place a close friend or family member in charge of completing those instructions and handling all affairs after death. There are two main options for the remains. They can be buried in a cemetery or they can be cremated. Once they are cremated they can be laid to rest in an urn or scattered in a place the loved ones have chosen.

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