Burial Customs of Different World religions

We have been burying our dead for over 200-thousand years.  But why do we mainly choose interment?  There are several reasons given for this practice.  Respect for the dead is the number one reason – not concern about decay, disease, or scavengers.  Burial is a manner in which to show respect or esteem for the deceased. Burial is also seen as a means of closure, the end of life as we know it and a time to move on for family and friends.  Religions and cultures that believe in an afterlife sometimes feel that burial is necessary to help the deceased go forward toward another phase of their life. 

Tree Burials

Cave Entrance

There are many forms of entombment.  In ancient times burials took place in earthen mounds, caverns or caves.  Burial practices around the world include many different methods.  The Japanese do not bury, they cremate.  Most American Indian tribes buried their dead in mounds, but the Plains Indians did not.  Instead they performed aboveground burials where the body was placed on a scaffold, in a tree or a canoe and left to decay.  In Tibet, a sky burial is similar, except that the body is cut up and prepared to become food for the vultures before being placed on a mountaintop.  

Coffin Burial at Sea

With the sea burial of Osama bin Laden almost two weeks ago; I became curious as to how different and varied burial practices were between various religions.  Today, we’ll look at five religions and three denominations to learn how each regards the practice of caring for the deceased body.

Buddhist at Prayer

Buddhist  - The majority of Buddhists have the body cremated.  Before cremation a white cloth may be offered on behalf of the dead. The deceased can be dressed in simple clothes.  The funeral hall where the body lies for services should be simple and peaceful.  An alter may be set in front of the coffin and a photo of the deceased placed there during the funeral ceremony. A Buddha image should also be set up in front of the casket.  A monk may be invited to perform the Buddhist rites, or friends may conduct the services. 

Cremation

The casket is then sealed and taken to its final destination.  If burying, the coffin is then lowered into the ground.  If cremating, the casket is placed into the furnace. The decision to bury or cremate is a personal choice.  Either is acceptable in Buddhism. 

Hindu Funeral Procession

Hindu  - Hindu funerals and burials have changed over the centuries.  Bodies were originally given a sky burial – left for the vultures, or buried in the ground or a cave.  Now cremation rituals and post cremation observances have become the preferred method.  Hindu funeral rites depend on one’s social class or caste.  There are rites, which are performed when the person is dying, rites when the body is disposed of, and rites, which enable the soul to transcend to the realm of the ancestors. 

For a Hindu funeral, the deceased is placed on the floor with the head pointing to the south, the direction of the dead.  An oil lamp is placed near the body and kept burning for three days.  The body is then washed in purified water, dressed in new clothes and adorned with flowers.  After being placed on a stretcher, it is transported to the cremation site.

Funeral Pyre

A pyre is built near a river and the corpse is laid with its feet facing southward.  Once fire consumes the body a 13-day mourning period begins for the family.  The preta-karma is a very important aspect of the Hindu funeral.  It is during this rite that the soul moves from the preta (ghost) stage to live with the ancestors.  The rites can last up to ten days.  It is then believed that the preta has joined the ancestors and can be worshipped during the sraddha ceremonies.

Funeral Prayers

Islam – Muslims believe that a person’s life does not end at death, so you must pray that their eternal life will be a happy one.  Muslims prefer to bury as soon as possible after death, thereby avoiding embalming or other methods of preservation, which disturb the body.  Cremation is forbidden.

Men at Burial Location

When someone dies family members or others in the community wash the body and shroud it in a clean white cloth.  (Martyrs are buried in the clothes they died in.)  The deceased is then taken to the location where funeral prayers will be said.  This is usually held outdoors.

Muslim Cemetery

After prayers, the body is taken to the cemetery for burial.  Only the men of the community accompany the body to the burial grounds. The body is placed in the grave, on its right side, with the head facing toward Mecca. Gravestones are discouraged but if the family insists, markers must be simple and not over 12 inches tall.

Regarding a Muslim burial at sea, the body should be wrapped in a white cloth, prayers should be said and the body lowered into the sea with weights on the feet.  This is allowed when a death has occurred at sea or when there is concern about the body being exhumed and defiled.

Christian – Christian burials also involve many rites, depending on the type of Christian religion practiced.  Those of the Christian faith prefer to be buried, usually in sacred ground, such as a churchyard.  Only recently have Protestants and Catholics allowed cremation.  The Eastern Orthodox Church still forbids it.

Catholic Funeral Mass

Catholics -  The Catholic religion requires a church funeral made up of three stages - prayers, a funeral Mass and prayers for absolution.  These prayers do not forgive the deceased’s sins but ask for mercy regarding the soul when in purgatory.

The body is then taken to the burial ground where the tomb is blessed; the body sprinkled with holy water and a final prayer said.

Eastern Orthodox – The Eastern Orthodox religion has five different funeral services, depending on the deceased’s station in life.  Immediately after death the First Pannikhida is celebrated.  This is a memorial service for the deceased.  The body is then washed and dressed for burial by family and friends.  A wake is held with family members taking turns reading the psalms until it is time to take the body to graveyard.

Services usually take place at the churchyard for individuals.  At the gravesite, prayers are said, hymn and psalms chanted. Bells are then tolled, the coffin is nailed shut and a choir chants as the body is lowered in to the earth. 

Eastern Orthodox Church

If the deceased’s grave is not near where they died, or a special service is being held to honor all of the departed, then a memorial srvice is held at the church.  Hymns for the departed are chanted, a litany is read and the funeral service begins.  The service may last up to two and a half hours.

Protestants – There are many denominations of the protestant religion.  Most funerals are simple in nature.  After death, the body is transported to a funeral home where it is embalmed and prepared for burial. The dressing of the body usually involves a suit for men and a dressy outfit for women.  

Outdoor Funeral

The body is then placed in the coffin and arranged for the visitation or viewing by family, friends and acquaintances.  A visitation may remain private, depending on what the family requests.  Services are usually held at the funeral home chapel, or at the church the deceased attended, with a minister presiding.  Protestants may decide to skip the funeral home viewing and service, and hold graveside services instead. For chapel services, a singer and organist provide hymns.    After the minister has spoken, male family members or close friends will bear the casket out to the hearse.  Family members and friends accompany the coffin to the cemetery.  The casket bearers will then deliver the coffin to the gravesite.  The minister will decree the body to the earth and God and final prayers are said. 

Jewish – For a Jewish burial the body is prepared by washing, purification and dressing in traditional burial clothes.  Burial will occur as soon as possible after death.  Embalming is forbidden, as is cremation. The coffin is then prepared by removing any linings and ornamentation.  A sheet and prayer shawl is placed in the coffin and the deceased is then wrapped in both.  The coffin is closed and sealed. The chevra, which asks for forgiveness from the deceased for anything they may have done to offend, is said.  Once at the burial site, prayers and psalms are said.  Then mourners step forward one-by-one to help fill in the grave with a shovel full of soil.

Have a great weekend!

~ Joy

Remembering Mothers in the Cemetery

St Brigid

Sunday was Mother’s Day, a day that has been celebrated throughout the world since ancient times.  The Romans held a festival to honor Cybele, a mother goddess.  The Greeks had a celebration to honor Rhea, the mother of the gods.  And in Celtic Europe, the goddess Brigid was honored.

Julia Ward Howe

In the United States, Julia Ward Howe is credited with the first attempt to set aside an official day for mom, back in 1870 with her ‘Mother’s Day Proclamation”.    In May 1907, Anna Jarvis set out to make Mother’s Day a national holiday.  In 1914 that holiday was established as the second Sunday in May in the U.S.

Anna Jarvis

Countries throughout the world still have a day or days set aside each year to honor mothers.  Many are more religious or historically based than in the U.S.   It is said that Mother’s Day founder Anna Jarvis, who died in 1948, regretted that Mother’s Day had become a commercialized holiday instead of the reflective remembrance she had wanted.

And, Mother’s Day continues to be one of the most commercialized holidays in the U.S.  According to IBIS World Research, over $2.5 billion is spent on flowers, $1.53 billion is spent on gifts and another $68 million is spent on cards each year.

In the cemeteries too, mothers are remembered and honored in various ways and by various names.  

Some with the standard marker, some with symbols of affection, some with poems and epitaphs.  A mother who has acted as teacher, comforter, caregiver, disciplinarian and friend, who has loved her children and raised them up to let them go is one to be treasured and remembered.

 

She is Gone
You can shed tears that she is gone

Or you can smile because she has lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that she’ll come back

Or you can open your eves and see all she’s left.

Your heart can be empty because you can’t see her

Or you can be full of the love you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday

Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember her and only that she’s gone

Or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back

Or you can do what she’d want, open your eyes, love and go on.

(Read at the Queen Mother’s funeral.)

Do not stand at my grave and weep;

I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am the diamond glints on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning’s hush

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry;

I am not there, I did not die.

                                    - Mary Frye

Those we love don’t go away,

They walk beside us every day,

Unseen, unheard, 

but always near,

Still loved, still missed 

and very dear.

      - Anonymous

Until Friday -

~ Joy

Devoted Pets and the Cemeteries They Inhabit - Part 2

This week is National Pet Week.  In keeping with Tuesday’s blog about pets in the cemetery – here are two more tales of true devotion.

Johnny Morehouse & his dog – Woodland Cemetery, Dayton, Ohio

Woodland Cemetery Entrance

One of the most famous and often visited sites at Woodland Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio is the grave of Johnny Morehouse.  In  1860, Johnny lived with his parents, John Morehouse, a cobbler, and Barbara, his mother, along the Dayton Canal, which ran through the center of the city.  While playing near the canal one day, five-year-old Johnny fell in.  His dog, whose name has been lost to the ages, jumped in to save him.  When the dog pulled Johnny from the water, he had already drowned.  Johnny’s constant companion was inconsolable.  Legend has it that after Johnny was buried; his dog took up guard at his grave.  Visitors would bring the dog food and water because he would not leave his master's grave.

Johnny Morehouse Marker

Noted Dayton sculptor Daniel LaDow carved the marble tombstone of Johnny and his faithful dog.  It portrays Johnny under the protective guard of his faithful dog, who watches over him in death as he did in life.  The statue bears no dates, just the words “Slumber Sweet” on the side and “Johnny Morehouse” on the front.  LaDow also carved what was found in Johnny’s pockets when he died; a ball, a top, a cap and a mouth harp (harmonica,) all resting near him.
Victorians also used these types of symbols to indicate the premature end to a child's life.

Cemetery visitors still bring presents and toys for Johnny, and occasionally a new collar or memento for his devoted dog.  Sightings have been reported through the years of Johnny and his dog playing together in the cemetery.  At times, just before nightfall, Johnny’s laughter can be heard ringing through the grounds, along with the happy barking of his very best friend.

Location:   Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum, Plot section: 82, Lot 546, Dayton, Ohio.

~

And just in time for the start of horse racing’s Triple Crown tomorrow, here’s the story of an exceptional horse and his longtime companion.

Will Harbut & Man o’ War, Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, Kentucky

Man o' War as a colt
University of Kentucky Archives

The Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky is a twelve hundred acre working horse farm, with a world-class equestrian competition facility where over 15-thousand horses take part in various competitions each year.  This is also the resting place of the most famous Thoroughbred of the Twentieth Century - Man o’ War.

August Belmont Jr.

He was born March 29, 1917 at the Kentucky Nursery Stud farm, owned by August Belmont, Jr.  One of almost 17-hundred Thoroughbreds foaled that year, he was named “My Man o’ War” by Mrs. Belmont in honor of her husband who would be going off to fight in France during World War One.  One year later, the high tempered yearling was sold at the Saratoga Sales in New York. 

Purchased by Pennsylvania horseman, Samuel Riddle for $5,000, trainers hoped that ‘Big Red” as he was called off the track, could be trained as a racehorse.  His instincts and intelligence made him a fast learner.  On June 6, 1919, Man o’ War won his first race, with Johnny Loftus as the jockey.  According to legend, at the completion of that first race a spectator asked a groom who Man o’ War was sired by.  The groom replied, “He’s by hisself and there ain’t nobody gonna’ get near him.”

Man o' War in front - University of Kentucky Archives

Man o' War and Jockey Clarence Kummer

 The groom’s words were prophetic.  Except for Man o’ War’s sixth race, which he lost to a horse named Upset, he won them all and went on to be named Horse of the Year for 1919 and 1920.  As a three-year-old, he was ridden by jockey Clarence Kummer.  He stood 16.2 hands high and had a stride of 28 feet! All told, Man o’ War won 20 out of 21 races in his career and nearly 250-thousand dollars in purses – the leading money winner of his time.  Kummer was the top money-winning jockey in the U.S. for 1920.

"Big Red"
University of Kentucky Archives

Although he was extremely favored as a possible winner, Man o’ War was not entered in the Kentucky Derby because Sam Riddle didn’t like racing in Kentucky and believed it was too early in the year for the horse to run a mile and a quarter. Man o’ War did win the Preakness Stakes in Maryland, breaking a track record.  He also won the Belmont Stakes in New York, setting another record time.  All told, he broke 5 American racing records that year.  At the end of the racing season in 1920, Man o’ War was retired from racing.

Will Harbut & Man o' War
University of Kentucky Archives

“Big Red” was taken to Faraway Farm near Lexington to become a stud horse. Groom/Trainer  Will Harbut was put in charge of him and a life-long friendship began between man and horse.  “Big Red” became one of the top-breeding stallions in the nation, siring over 60 champions, including Horses of the Year - Crusader and War Admiral. War Admiral won the Triple Crown in 1937.  Man o’ War was also the grandfather of American horse legend, Seabiscuit.  Harbut and “Big Red” became inseparable friends.  They led tours and entertained over one million visitors to Faraway Farm.  Harbut told engaging stories about Man o’ War and his life, on and off the track.  “Big Red” and Harbut graced the covers of several magazines during the 30’s and early 40’s.  Both enjoyed performing before the crowds, each seeming to instinctively understand what the other needed or wanted.

Headline:  Big Red Joins Groom
Under Blue grass

Then on October 4, 1947, Will Harbut died of a heart attack.  In Harbut’s obituary he was listed as being survived by “his wife, six sons, three daughters and Man o’ War.

Man o' War in his coffin

It was rumored that Man o’ War grieved himself to death.  After Harbut’s death, the spark went out of the horse.  He died just 4 weeks later on November 1, 1947 at the age of 30 of an apparent heart attack.  He was the first horse to be embalmed, and his casket was lined in his riding colors.  Man o’ War’s funeral was broadcast internationally over the radio and over 2,000 people came to pay their final respects.  Thousands more sent their condolences.  The most famous Thoroughbred in the world had touched people deeply.   Owner Sam Riddle had commissioned artist Herbert Haseltine to sculpt a life-size bronze statue of Man o’ War in 1934. It was now placed on the horse’s grave at Faraway Farm.

In 1977, Man o’ War, along with several of his offspring, were moved to the newly established Kentucky Horse Park and reburied at the Man o’ War Memorial.   Will Harbut’s family refused the request to place Harbut’s remains alongside the horse he loved, but a plaque next to the statue describes the bonds of affection that man and horse shared.

Will Harbut and Man o' War

And there the story ends.  But tomorrow when the bugle sounds the Call to Post for the start of the Derby, I’d like to think that Will Harbut and “Big Red” are standing together,

watching the race, on the lookout for this century’s horse that “ain’t nobody gonna’ get near…”  - Another great racer with a gentle heart.

Locations:

Will Harbut, Maddoxtown Baptist Church Cemetery, Maddoxtown, Kentucky

Man o’ War, Main Gate, Kentucky Horse Park, 4089 Iron Works Pike, Lexington, Kentucky

If anyone knows of a heroic/legendary pet story, please let me know.  I could not find anything in my searches about cats, and only one bird turned up, but the cemetery would not comment.

~  Joy