Hindu Death Culture

I chose the Hindu cultural death practice because I have always been interested in learning more about their cremation and spreading of the ashes at sea. I have had people say the practice is like joining a cult. We all have our different cultural beliefs, and not everyone favors them. Therefore we should respect each other's beliefs and practices even if they are extreme and bizarre. This video gives detail explanations of the Hindu death culture and their belief. Hindu chose cremation to dispose a dead body within a day of death, they believe death only applies to the physical body, not the soul, and they don’t believe in the resurrection of the body. They believe that upon death the soul of the person detached and has no significance; therefore …show more content…
On the 12th or 13th day the life of the deceased is celebrated with a feast that marks appreciation of their life and the day the soul completes its travel through a ghost world and reaches the land of their ancestors. Hindu’s believed that the human body and universe consist of five elements, air, water, fire earth, and space. I did not know that there is an exception in cremating the death, babies and children are not cremated, they are buried instead. White cloth is used to wrap the dead if they are widowed or male and red and two toes tied together with a string and a Tillich red mark placed on the forehead if it is a woman whose husband is still alive. The cremation is done near a river or water by family and friend. The body is placed on a pyre with feet facing south, and the lead mourner takes a bath before leading the cremation ceremony. He goes around the body reciting a eulogy or hymn and places sesame seed or rice in the deceased mouth and sprinkles the body and pyre with ghee then draw three lines signifying Yama deity of the dead, Kala time deity of cremation and the dead. The pyre is set ablaze, and closest relatives can go around the burning pyre one or more