Death Rituals in Other Countries

If you are interested in thanatology (the study of death), I recommend the 2017 book, From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to find the Good Death by Caitlin Doughty.  It’s a fascinating account of death practices in parts of the US and in other countries.  I admit I was both fascinated and appalled by some of the rituals and at the same time, awed by the myriad ways people’s faith and customs direct their grief. 

There is no “best” way to die or to mourn; there is only the “best” way in the culture in which one lives.

Let me know if you read the book.  And if you are in Pittsburgh on December 12, 2019 please come to the Death Café at the Upper St. Clair Library at 7 PM.  Look in the archives for posts about Death Cafés or visit deathcafe.com.