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 th
Like Mexicans, the Chinese also have a special festival celebrating their ancestors. Death is described as awakening from a dreamlike existence and seen as an equalizer. There are many other cultures of different tribes and people described in my reading, but I have found the one's that I have talked about so far to be the most interesting. The Aztec's of the Mexican culture would perform sacrifices. They also put in food and clothing thinking that they will use this in their afterlife. Asians have a great deal of respect for their ancestors. Native American's consider the dead to be guardian spirits and the burial place is considered sacred. Families set an extra place at the dinner table for each dead child. Memorial ceremonies are held on the one-hundredth day after death and on the first and third anniversary. The meaning was that death comes to all people, no matter how high up you are in rank. It seems as though they look at the person as being reincarnated after death. Mexicans still celebrate this dance today at a festival called "The Day of the Dead. The "Day of the Dead" as I stated before is an occasion for communion for those living and dead. I found the Cherokee's belief's very interesting. They summon spirits of ancestors that supposedly go into another body to talk to them.
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Acceptance Essays
