When you think about the 10 unusual death rituals that humanity has devised, you might picture solemn funerals or quiet cremations. In reality, cultures across the globe have crafted bizarre, sometimes shocking, ceremonies to honor—or even command—their departed. Below, we count down ten of the most eye‑opening practices, each steeped in history, belief, and a dash of the uncanny.
1. Sokushinbutsu
10 Unusual Death: The Japanese Self‑Mummification
Many religions from around the world believe that an imperishable corpse conveys an ability to connect with a force beyond the physical realm. The Japanese Shingon monks of Yamagata took it a step further. Their practice of self‑mummification, or sokushinbutsu, was believed to grant them access to Heaven, where they could live for a million years and protect humans on Earth. The process of mummifying themselves from inside out required utmost devotion and self‑discipline.
The process of sokushinbutsu started off with the monk adopting a diet consisting of only tree roots, barks, nuts, berries, pine needles, and even stones. This diet helped eliminate any fat and muscle as well as bacteria from the body. It could last anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 days. The monk would also drink the sap of the Chinese lacquer tree, which would render the body toxic to insect invaders after death. The monk continued with the meditation practice while drinking only small amounts of salinized water. As death approached, he would rest in a small, tightly cramped pine box, which would be buried. The corpse would then be unearthed after 1,000 days. If the body had stayed intact, it meant that the deceased had become sokushinbutsu. The body would then be dressed in robes and put in a temple for worship.
The whole process could take more than three years to complete. It is believed that 24 monks successfully mummified themselves between 1081 and 1903, but this ritual was criminalized in 1877.
2. Hanging Coffins
People of the Igorot tribe of Mountain Province in Northern Philippines have been burying their dead in hanging coffins, nailed to the sides of cliff faces, for more than two millennia. They believe that moving the bodies of the dead higher up brings them closer to their ancestral spirits.
The corpses are buried in a fetal position, as the Igorot people believe that a person should leave the world the same way they entered it. Nowadays, younger generations adopt more modern and Christian ways of life, so this ancient ritual is slowly dying out.
3. Skull Burial
Kiribati is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean. In present times, its people practice mostly Christian burials, but this was not always the case. Before the 19th century, they practiced what is called the skull burial, in which they kept the skull at home so that the native god could welcome the deceased’s spirit to the afterlife.
After someone died, their body stayed at home for three to twelve days for people to pay their respects. To make the body smell nice, they burned leaves nearby and placed flowers in the corpse’s mouth, nose, and ears, and even rubbed the body with coconut and scented oils. A few months after burial, family members dug up the grave, removed the skull, polished it, and displayed it at home. The widow or child would sleep and eat next to the skull and carry it everywhere, even making necklaces from fallen teeth. After several years, the skull was reburied.
4. Zoroastrian Towers Of Silence
A tower of silence, or dakhma, is a funerary structure used by Zoroastrians. It is a practice of disposing of the dead by exposing the bodies to the Sun and vultures. According to Zoroastrian belief, the four elements (fire, water, earth, and air) are sacred and should not be polluted by the disposal of the dead through cremation or burial.
The towers are raised platforms with three concentric circles. Bodies of men are placed on the outer circle, women in the middle, and children in the inner circle. Vultures then consume the flesh, while the remaining bones are left to dry and bleach in the Sun before being deposited in an ossuary. These towers can be found in Iran and India.
5. Sallekhana
Sallekhana, also known as Santhara, is the last vow prescribed by the Jain ethical code of conduct. It is observed by Jain ascetics at the end of their life by gradually reducing the intake of food and liquids until they are fasting at the end. The practice is highly respected in the Jain community.
The vow can only be taken voluntarily when death is near. Sallekhana can last up to 12 years, giving the individual time to reflect, purge old karmas, and prevent the creation of new ones. Despite controversy, the Supreme Court of India lifted the ban on Sallekhana in 2015.
6. Famadihana
Famadihan‑drazana, also known as Famadihana, is a ceremony used to honor the dead. It is the most commonly practiced traditional festival in the southern highlands of Madagascar. It occurs every seven years during the winter months of July to September.
The ritual starts when corpses are exhumed from their graves and rewrapped in new shrouds. Before reinterment, they are hoisted up and carried around their tombs several times so they become familiar with their resting places. Tears are banned, and the celebration features loud music, dancing, feasting, and plenty of drink. The last Famadihana was in 2011, so the next one is likely imminent.
7. Ritual Finger Amputation Of The Dani People
The Dani people of Papua New Guinea believe that a physical representation of emotional pain is essential to the grieving process. A woman would cut off the tip of her finger if she lost a family member or a child.
In addition to using pain to express sorrow, this ritual finger amputation was performed to appease and drive away spirits. The Dani tribe believes the essence of the deceased can cause lingering spiritual turmoil. The practice is now banned, but older women still bear the tell‑tale signs of mutilated fingertips.
8. The Viking Funeral
The Vikings’ funeral and burial rituals were shaped by their pagan beliefs. They thought death would lead them into one of the nine Viking realms, so they strove to ensure a successful afterlife, typically via cremation or inhumation.
The funeral of a chief or king was especially elaborate. According to an account, the chief’s body was placed in a temporary grave for ten days while new clothes were prepared. During this time, a thrall woman “volunteered” to join the chief in the afterlife, was kept day and night with ample alcohol, then forced to sleep with every village man, after which she was strangled and stabbed by the village matriarch. Both bodies were then placed on a wooden ship that served as the cremation pyre.
9. Mortuary Totem Poles
Totem poles are tall cedar monuments carved by Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest. Mortuary totem poles, especially those of the Haida, feature a cavity on top used to hold a burial box containing the remains of a chief or important person.
These remains are placed in the box a year after death. The box is hidden from view by a frontal board carved or painted with a lineage crest and placed across the front, giving the appearance of a large crest.
10. Sati
Sati (also spelled suttee) is a Hindu practice in which a recently widowed woman is burned to death on her husband’s funeral pyre. This is either done voluntarily or by force. Other forms of sati also exist, such as burial alive and drowning. The practice was especially popular in Southern India and among higher castes.
Sati is considered the highest expression of wifely devotion to her dead husband. The practice was outlawed in 1827, but it has still occasionally occurred in some parts of India.