Death, in most cultures, is marked by burials beneath the earth or cremation by fire, but in Tibet and parts of Mongolia, a centuries-old tradition takes a strikingly different path with the Sky Burial.

Sky Burial, known locally as “Jhator” (meaning giving alms to the birds), is a funeral practice where the body of a deceased Tibetan is offered to vultures. Instead of being buried underground, the corpse is wrapped in white Tibetan cloth and placed in a corner of the house for three or five days, during which monks or lamas are asked to read the scripture aloud so that the souls can be released from purgatory.

The Family members stop other activities in order to create a peaceful environment to allow convenient passage for ascension of souls into heaven.

Later, the Family members will choose a lucky day and ask the body carrier to carry the body away to the celestial burial platform. On the day before the burial, the family members take off the clothes of the dead and fix the corpse in a fetal position.

Specifically, the body is bent into a sitting position, with the head against the knees. At dawn on the lucky day, the corpse is sent to the burial site among mountains which is always far from the residential area. Then “Su” smoke is burned to attract condors, Lamas chant sutras to redeem the sins of the soul, and a professional celestial burial master deals with the body.

Aside from the menacing vultures, the most intriguing part of sky funeral ritual is the body carrier (also known as body breaker). They drag the dead body to the mountaintop and dissect it with blade. The whole process, as opposed to most people’s expectation, is done not with solemn expression or deep sorrow on their face.

Instead, body breakers chopped the body with laughter and smell as if they are doing other ordinary farm work, because Tibetan Buddhists believe that keeping a light-hearted atmosphere can help guide the dead to transcend from darkness to the next life.

When the flesh is eaten up by vultures, the body breaker will smash the bone into pieces and mix it with tsampa (a staple food for Tibetans, made of barley flour) to feed the vultures.

Tibetans believe the body is just a vessel, while the soul moves on through rebirth. Feeding one’s body to vultures reflects detachment from the physical form and embodies the Buddhist teaching of non-attachment. Vultures, seen as “sky beings or holy birds” carry the remains to the heavens, linking the deceased with the divine.

Any remains left by the holy birds must be collected up and burnt while the Lamas chant sutras to redeem the sins of the dead, because the remains would tie the spirits to this life.

There are a lot of taboos in the process of the celestial funeral in Tibet. Strangers are not allowed to attend the ceremony for Tibetans believe it will bring negative efforts to the ascending of the souls. In the past, curious travelers tried to watch, even taking photos, which caused major cultural backlash.

So, visitors should respect this custom and keep away from such occasions. Authorities in Tibet have since restricted attendance to monks, ritual specialists, and the deceased’s family

By: Idris Olayinka