|
Death is a part of life. I live in the Philippines and we have this elaborate belief system and ritual about death. You can see week long wakes where people play dice games, play cards, chill with friends, bring food and drinks, all around the coffin. Come the Day of the Dead (Nov 1), almost all of Manila empties out as they go to cemeteries to spend the WHOLE DAY AND NIGHT with their dead. Some people have a mini-fiesta, others get drunk, there's been some fights and shootings.
In this part of Asia, life and death blur into each other and there are complicated rituals and belief systems to deal with the VERY HUMAN REACTION TO DEATH--Fear.
Many people react to fear with denial or clinging to control (this is the reaction I noticed when I lived in America), others react to the fear differently.
I don't judge because everyone is different. One thing is for sure though--we are NOT in control. It's your choice to accept it and say IT'S OKAY or engage in all sorts of rituals, behaviors, belief systems to "deal" with it. Since I've been here, I've been to close to 10 funerals. All were pretty much the same--serene almost festive events where people greet friends, share happy stories of the deceased, and hang out for the free food and drinks.
|