There is no holiday more unusual and creepy in the world than Halloween with its dead and ghosts, many fans of the celebration believe.
But the masquerade with pumpkins and begging for sweets, beloved in Western countries, is just child's play compared to the similar celebrations of some peoples of the world. For example, in Indonesia, once every three years, an extravagant analogue of All Saints' Day is also held, only there they do without costumes and parties - everything is so real that special effects are not needed.
The Manene Festival is held on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi every three years. The Toraja people living there respect their deceased ancestors very much. So much so that he is not ready to say goodbye to relatives after their death forever. In a ritual called the body cleansing ceremony, the remains of the dead are removed from the graves. The corpses are brushed, wiped and combed, and then changed into new clothes. The tradition is over a hundred years old, and locals do not find it strange or scary.
A funeral is the most important event in the life of a Toraja. Many save money all their lives to arrange a magnificent burial for themselves or loved ones. If a person dies, and the family does not have money for a worthy farewell, they may be buried in a few weeks or even years.
But Torajs never say goodbye to the deceased forever. The body is wrapped in several layers of fabric to avoid decomposition. Each time, when relatives will remove the body of the deceased from the ground, they will repair the old coffin or replace it with a new one, depending on financial capabilities. It is also designed to protect the body of the deceased from natural processes.
The Toraji live high in the mountains, which allowed them to maintain complete isolation and privacy until the 70s of the XX century, when they were discovered by Dutch missionaries. Kinship marriages are widespread among this nation (but only with distant cousins and cousins of the fourth degree of kinship).
Torajis believe that death is not the end, but only a new stage in a person's spiritual path.
The funeral, in the opinion of the locals, is an important moment in the transition from one stage of life to another.
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Death celebrations sometimes last a whole week.
According to beliefs, the spirit of the deceased always returns to its native place, therefore it is very important to end the life path at home. Many Toraj even refuse to travel anywhere for fear of dying far from their homeland. If a representative of this people gives his soul to God in a foreign land, his family members will do everything to bring the body home.
Taking a picture with a deceased family member, cleaned up and dressed in a new one, is another good tradition.
The living say goodbye to the dead for another three years.