8 Bizarre Funeral Rituals From Around the World
Jazz funeral
- Funeral with music
- Where: New Orleans, Louisiana
When someone dies in New Orleans, Louisiana, their relatives should bury them accompanied by a brass band. The organizers of the funeral ceremony were responsible for hiring such a band. When a high-ranking person died in the community, various musicians volunteered to support the ceremony.
They start by playing slow and somber pieces, such as “Nearer My God to Thee”, then spirituals songs, such as “Just a Closer Walk With Thee” and continue with upbeat tunes like “When the Saints Go Marching In” and “Didn’t He Ramble”.
Tower of Silence
- Funeral with vultures
- Where: Zoroastrian culture (one of the world’s oldest continuously practiced religions)
Tower of Silence or dakhma is a funeral ritual formed by Zoroastrians, which involves washing the body of the dead with bull urine and then leaving it in the tower of silence where it will be devoured by vultures. The main idea of this funeral ritual is to avoid contact with Earth and Fire – because these elements are considered sacred in this culture.