Burial Beliefs

steffsthridge01 · Joined: 18 Apr 2011 Posts: 7

I always have this prevailing thought on traditional beliefs regarding death. Sometimes, it's creepy. As much as I wanted to discover many things about it, I couldn't be able to do so because of this certain fear I have inside. I believe that the answer to mysteries of why do people die have not yet been revealed. As such, I also get intrigued of burial and the different beliefs associated with religion and spirituality.

Rituals have varied broadly with time and place, and have often mixed directly with religious perception. They provide critical insight into cultures, as well as making for interesting reading.

For instance, he Muslim religion has a very clear set of protocols for dealing with the deceased. The body must be placed on its sides and washed with warm water and soap, generally by a member of the same sex, with the final washing having scented water. There must be an odd number of washings (a trend against odd numbers is also visible in the Hindu faith), some of the stomach's must be pushed out, and the teeth and nose must be cleaned on the outside as a form of ablution (spiritual cleansing). Then the body is dried, perfumed, and wrapped in white cloth. Burial prayers are then said facing Mecca before a silent procession takes the corpse to its burial, where everyone shares in filling the grave with soil and a second pit with bricks while saying additional prayers.

On the other hand, a lot is known about Egyptian burial. Thanks to the attractiveness of the pyramids that served as tombs for their kings. The bodies were treated with spices, herbs and chemicals so that they became mummies rather than decomposing. The corpses were then placed in cotton cloth wrappings and put inside of a wooden case that was put inside of another case that was decorated with details of their life and a mask of their face. This was then placed in a coffin that was put in a sarcophagus. However, the bodies of poor people were treated less elaborately, but on the other hand cats, sacred animals, were mummified. The powder of mummies was sold in the Middle Ages by apothecaries. Mummies were also produced in Peru and Mexico.

bitterbuck1 · Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 7:27 pm Post subject:

I've never thought about burial beliefs before.
Interesting topic there Steff!

D B Sweeney · Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 11:05 pm Post subject:

Good post Steff. Very interesting.

DB

thecactus · Joined: 07 Mar 2011 Posts: 3196 Location: Northern Ireland

I would lean more towards - the human body is just a vessel for the soul, and once it expires it is just meat really and doesnt make any difference what happens to it

Agentscott · Joined: 08 Feb 2011 Posts: 1042 Location: Essex

I agree with that but don't think the ancient Egyptions would!

thecactus · Joined: 07 Mar 2011 Posts: 3196 Location: Northern Ireland

hertz · Joined: 07 May 2011 Posts: 5

Ultimately all rituals including burial are done for the soul to reach its place safely.

Agentscott · Joined: 08 Feb 2011 Posts: 1042 Location: Essex

Hello Hertz, Welcome but I think you may be a bit over the top there with this don't think about the dead thing.
When I go if everyone forgets me then I will be gone here for real too coz no person will talk about my legacy. That would anoy me.
Talk,call, communicate with the dead. They will be happy...even more so if they are lost.