United States
In most countries, people who have died are buried in the ground with a
special ceremony.
A death in the family
It’s a sad time when someone in the family dies. Everywhere in the world
there are ceremonies that are ways of saying good-by to someone who has
died.
In many parts of the world, when people die their bodies are buried in
the ground. In most of North America and Europe, a dead person’s body is
dressed in good clothes and put into a box called a coffin. Often, there
is a religious ceremony for the dead person at a church or synagogue.
Then the coffin is taken to a cemetery. The dead person’s family and
friends watch as the coffin is lowered into the ground.
In countries where people are poor or wood is scarce, coffins are
usually not used. The dead person’s body is simply wrapped in a clean
sheet and buried.
In Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, and some other Asian countries, the
bodies of people who belong to the Hindu religion are usually burned
instead of buried. In India, the dead person’s body is put on a pile of
wood, together with offerings of flowers, leaves, and butter. Then, one
of the members of the family— usually the oldest son—sets fire to
the wood with a torch. Sometimes the ashes are put into a jar and kept
until a member of the family can make a trip to the holy Ganges River.
The ashes are then thrown into the river.
In North America and Europe, people often wear black clothes or black
armbands when a member of their family dies. But in India, China, and
some other countries, people often wear white clothes when someone they
love has died.
Indonesia
When a Hindu dies, the body is burned. On the island of Bali, the dead
person is burned on a decorated platform, covered with flowers.
Sometimes a statue of a cow, which is a sacred animal, is also on the
platform.
