Cultural Tradition

             In Western Cultures, the church teachings influenced the way people died and offered them hope for their afterlife. People believed that we will all die. Towards the end of the twentieth century however, death became a ver private event. People denied death.
             The people of the Medieval Period would put graveyards on the outside of towns except for those people of special honor were buried within the precincts of the town. These people were concerned about the welfare of the dead soul. As time passed, the dead became associated with the church, and everyone would be able to be buried there. Charnel houses were later formed. This was like a gallery of the dead where their bones would be laying and viewed by people. Graves were often opened to give those bones up to the church for safe keeping until the time of Resurrection. Around the twelfth century, monuments were soon shown in order to preserve the identity of the deceased. By the time of the Renaissance, customs for memorializing the dead became very important. Burials began to take place in cemeteries away from churches.
             The "Dance of Death" came about in the later part of the thirteenth and early part of the fourteenth century. It was basically influenced by the plague that killed thousands. The dance was expressed as a story through drama, music or even poetry. The meaning was that death comes to all people, no matter how high up you are in rank. Mexicans still celebrate this dance today at a festival called "The Day of the Dead."
             Native Americans view death as a natural process. The Cree people say good-bye's before they go anywhere just in case something unexpected could happen. Some people compose death songs that tell about there near death experience or about their life if the near dead is writing one. I found the Cherokee's belief's very interesting. They believe in four souls and four stages of death, the last s...

More Essays:

APA     MLA     Chicago
Cultural Tradition. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 03:13, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/30157.html