While being a mortician is an unsettling profession, you rarely hear morticians talk about their work and not say that they love it. Take, for example, this woman in the video below. She’s a mortician by the name of Yolanda Milligan, and she really does love her job. Her speciality is embalming. In the clip below, Milligan explains the embalming process and lets us know what she thinks about it. It’s both morbid and intriguing. (source: Benson Family Funeral Home of Chicago) Even though I have my issues with the death industry, I certainly see the beauty in what Milligan and other people like her do for a living. I wonder if she’s still embalming today. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/embalming/
Every culture has their own sacred death rituals, but some are far more frightening than others. Take the Torajan people, for example. On the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, dead bodies are seen very differently than they are in the States. Corpses aren’t actually considered to be dead until a water buffalo is sacrificed to accompany them into the afterlife. It takes years for some families to be able to afford the expensive ceremony, so many keep their loved ones inside their homes until they can. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘VN_PG_DCBP_ATF’); }); But even after their deceased relatives are properly buried, some families decide to keep their memory alive by digging the bodies up in a bizarre celebration. The residents of Toraja proudly display the dead as part of their Ma’nene ritual. Every year, the villagers dig up their late family members in order to honor them. YouTube / National Geographic googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘VN_PG_DCBM_BTF’); }); The decaying bodies don’t spook them at all — they prefer to see them so they can mourn. YouTube / National Geographic They carefully clean their ancestors to preserve their dignity. YouTube / National Geographic googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘VN_PG_DCI1_BTF’); }); Then the corpses are actually groomed and dressed up. YouTube / National Geographic And the families even pose with them for photos as if they were still alive. YouTube / National Geographic Though they are undeniably creepy, some of the bodies have pleasant looks on their faces like they approve of the ritual. YouTube / Mo10ta But others are just terrifying. YouTube / Mo10ta These people see all of this as a beautiful process, but it’s more than a little disturbing. Would you ever consider going to a celebration like this? Me neither. I’m all for expressing your culture, but this is way, way too morbid for me. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/morbid-indonesian-ritual/
