Funerals are probably the last thing one would want to be a part of as it is never easy to say goodbye. While two of the most common ways to perform a funeral that we Indians are familiar with are burial and cremation, you would be surprised by the various creative ways the last rites are performed in different parts of the world. Here are some of the strange funeral rituals that we did not know about. 

South Korean burial beads

In South Korea, the practice of turning the remains of the dead person into colourful beads is a tradition. This is done by specialised companies that compress the remains into gem-like beads, which are displayed at home.

The Jazz funerals

Funerals in New Orleans is a unique balance of grief and joy. According to this African-American tradition, mourners are lead by a marching band that plays sorrowful music at the beginning and transit to an upbeat note soon after the body is buried. The rituals also include Cathartic dancing to commemorate the life of the deceased

Also Read: Man presumed dead returns home a week after his funeral

The tree trunk burial

This practice is followed by several ethnic groups in the Philippines. The Caviteño group, who live near Manila, bury their dead in a hollowed-out tree trunk. Whenever someone gets sick, they chose a tree of their choice where they would want to be entombed and the family members bury the body in the trunk after his death

Fantasy coffin funeral

In Ghana, dead individuals are buried in fancy coffins that represent something that they stood for or were associated with. For example, a shoemaker would be buried in a shoe-shaped coffin while some who owned a Mercedes will be buried in a Mercedes-like coffin.

Tibetan burial

This ritual is being practiced for more than a thousand years in Tibet. Since Buddhists see the dead body as an empty vessel whose spirit has left the world for a heavenly abode, they cut the dead body into slices and keep it at the top of a mountain for the birds to feast on it.