Burning, Burying and Eating Your Dead: An Exploration of Curious Funerary Practices Around the World

• Religion & Spirituality

An illustrated lecture with Krista Amira Calvo

The practices of Wari funerary cannibalism, Tibetan Sky Burial and cremation in Varanasi all share a foundational goal: the safe passage of the deceased to the afterlife. The return of the body to the earth and the idea that it is merely a vessel for the soul exists at the core of the death rituals of numerous religions and their sects, whether it be a Santeria shrine to the dead, or the Aghori making of the dead into a shrine. Tonight’s talk will explore a number of these fascinating rituals from around the world, with an eye towards a questioning our own preconceptions and taboos, and encouraging a critical approach to contemporary American death practices.