Funeral traditions vary widely, with unique customs like Tibet's sky burials and the Philippines' hanging coffins standing out amidst common practices of burial and cremation
In Tibetan sky burials, bodies are left for vultures to consume, symbolizing the Buddhist belief in life's impermanence and the cycle of death
The Kankanaey people of the Philippines practice hanging coffins, suspending them on cliffs or caves to bring the dead closer to heaven and their ancestors
In Madagascar, the Famadihana ritual involves exhuming and rewrapping ancestors' remains, with families dancing around the tomb to aid the soul's journey to the afterlife
In New Orleans, jazz funerals blend mourning and celebration, starting with solemn hymns and ending with lively jazz music and dancing to honor the deceased's life
The Wari' tribe of Brazil once practiced endocannibalism, consuming the flesh of deceased relatives as an act of love and respect to help release their spirits, though the custom has mostly faded