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Abstract Previous research suggests that sharing emotionally intense experiences with others, for example by undergoing dysphoric collective rituals together, can lead to “identity fusion,” a visceral feeling of oneness that predicts group cohesion and self-sacrifice for the group. In this pre-registered research, we provide the first quantitative investigation of identity fusion following participation in a national funeral, surveying 1632 members of the British public. As predicted, individuals reporting intense sadness during Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral exhibited higher levels of identity fusion and pro-group commitment, as evidenced by generosity pledges to a British Monarchist charity. Also consistent with our hypotheses, feelings of unity in grief and emotional sharedness during the event mediated the relationship between sadness intensity and pro-group commitment. These findings shed light on importance of collective rituals in fostering group cohesion, cooperation, and the dynamics of shared emotional experiences within communities.

Previous research suggests that sharing emotionally intense experiences with others, for example by undergoing dysphoric collective rituals together, can lead to "identity fusion," a visceral feeling of oneness that predicts group cohesion and self-sacrifice for the group. In this pre-registered research, we provide the first quantitative investigation of identity fusion following participation in a national funeral, surveying 1632 members of the British public. As predicted, individuals reporting intense sadness during Queen Elizabeth II's funeral exhibited higher levels of identity fusion and pro-group commitment, as evidenced by generosity pledges to a British Monarchist charity. Also consistent with our hypotheses, feelings of unity in grief and emotional sharedness during the event mediated the relationship between sadness intensity and pro-group commitment. These findings shed light on importance of collective rituals in fostering group cohesion, cooperation, and the dynamics of shared emotional experiences within communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studia Academica Šumenensia is the property of Konstantin Preslavsky University of Shumen and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Measures to limit COVID‐19's spread were vital at the pandemic's onset. While some churches complied with public health mandates, others resisted them. Some religious ceremonies depend on third parties independent of the church. Funerals may require mortuary services overseen by funeral directors. Religious groups that may otherwise resist public health directives may comply when they depend on a third party. Extending street‐level bureaucracy theory, we examine the role of service providers who function as street‐level bureaucrats in shaping how religious groups respond to public policy mandates. Using the case of funeral rites in Old Order Amish churches, we content‐analyzed Old Order Amish obituaries from an Amish correspondence newspaper and interviewed funeral directors that serve the Amish. We found that the content of obituaries changed to incorporate COVID‐19 mitigation strategies due to requirements from some funeral homes. We also found that funeral directors used discretion to interpret health mandates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The talc pigs buried in ancient tombs in Hunan province appeared early in large quantities. Its distribution covered the Xiang River, Yuan River and Li River basins, which was popular from the early Western Han dynasty to the Sui and Tang dynasties. There were basically two modes, the realistic style and abstract style, with each period having its own characteristics and evolution. The background and significance of its popularity in Hunan are based in three aspects. Firstly, the accelerated process of local iron tool usage and the progress of the mining and handicrafts industries provided favorable conditions for large-scale exploitation of talc mine and extensive production of talc artifacts. Secondly, the recovery of social economy and the development of pig farming since the Western Han Dynasty promoted the emergence and spread of the pig -shaped pottery. Thirdly, the inheritance and change of the custom of burying pigs and the faith of pig worship since ancient times gave rich and diverse funeral meanings to the talc pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores how Covid-19 regulations in hospitals and regarding funerals disrupted and limited the capacity of kin to care, and transformed the meanings of life and death, for Zambians. Nonetheless, patients and kin exercised their agency through disobedience, by bargaining with officials and by drawing on resources, such as social media and video calling, audio calling, and messaging via the mobile phone to express care and love. The article draws on ethnographically grounded accounts of my personal experiences of the Covid illness: the hospitalisation and loss of my maternal uncle; participant observation in hospital and community settings; and various formal and informal interviews with members of the general public. To understand people's engagement with rules in the hospital, at funerals and at the graveyard, I draw on Alice Street's notion of sociotechnical assemblage that takes these as places of total biopolitical management and a space where alternative and transgressive social orders emerge and are contested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in India, due to strict lockdown, the family members of the victims of COVID-19 had to witness the dying and death of their relatives in solitude, improper funerals, and the absence of death rituals. After in-depth interviews with twelve relatives of seven deceased patients conducted more than a year after experiencing those deaths of loved ones, it was found that most of them had been struggling with long-term complicated grief without a sense of resolution. As funerals and death rituals, following the work of Van Gennep in his 'Rites of Passage', ensure the transition of grievers from a preliminal state by preparing for the imminent loss to a postliminal renovated stable state by reabsorbing them into the collective social and cultural conditions, the absence of that compels the mourners to get stuck in a liminal state, or limbo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ti Qin Opera, a popular local performing art in Chongyang County, Hubei Province, China, was mainly performed during the birthday celebrations of the local people and the Chinese Spring Festival to enliven the atmosphere. However, in the last two decades, Ti Qin Opera has been frequently performed at funerals, forming a new practice--the mourning ritual--which has been widely accepted by the locals and has become a tradition. In this regard, two questions arise: Why does Ti Qin Opera appear at local funerals? How did the mourning ritual become a tradition? This study applies an ethnographic approach to investigate the performance of Ti Qin Opera at funerals. The emergence of the mourning ritual in funerals is attributed to the emotional need for filial piety and the local people's competitive mentality. The family of the deceased believes that if other families hire a Ti Qin Opera troupe to perform the mourning ritual, their family should not miss out on holding this last event for the deceased. Ti Qin Opera performers rely on their reputation and prestige accumulated over the centuries, and acceptance by the locals is a key factor in making the mourning ritual a tradition. Increased economic status among the Chongyang people and, subsequently, better financial capacity to hire Ti Qin Opera troupes further contribute to the development of the mourning ritual tradition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The funeral rite, locally called oshwue-aji, is a funeral condolence outing among the Nsukka Igbo of Southeastern Nigeria. It features performances, enlivened with art objects and costumes. It is imbued with remarkable social significance. This paper examines varying performances and costumes associated with the oshwue-aji rite. The condolence trip displays exquisitely crafted bracelets, pendants, clothing, and other fashion accessories worn by the bereaved – children, daughters, sons, as well as daughters' and sons’ in-laws with their spouses. Relying on Paul Horwich's use theory of meaning, this paper discusses the distinctive nature of these visual art objects to understand their symbolic and social functions. It equally presents the phenomenon of oshwue-aji, directed towards understanding the nature of sociality these incorporated artistic dimensions generate within the social space per time. Interviews and personal observations were relied on for data collection from people performing the oshwue-aji rite because they are bereaved. Being a qualitative study, the art forms and related objects that constitute the data were analyzed descriptively. Beyond serving to epitomize vivacity and gaiety, these artistic creations remain an orchestration to appreciate, publicize, and promote. The paper finds that people's engagements in funerals with creative elements and donations and/or exchange of gifts build social solidarity in traditional contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A summary of the historical background of the present-day Lacandon Maya is followed by an account of their worldview, with respect to the archaeological remains which are found all over their territory, and about the deities who inhabited them. Southern Lacandon beliefs about the soul and death are outlined in order to grasp the meaning of “the song of the dead person’s soul”, which tells of the different phases through which the soul passes during the process of dying, in its transition between the human world and the world of the deities. A description of Lacandon funerary rites is provided, as well as an explanation of the term used in the song to signify the body. Finally, this song is compared to “the song to a dead person”, which belongs to Northern Lacandon oral tradition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

THE ONLY CERTAINTY IN LIFE IS DEATH. WHATEVER THE DEFINITION OF DEATH, DEATH IS A UNIVERSAL PHENOMENON THAT CANNOT BE AVOIDED AND THAT CHARACTERIZES ALL LIVING THINGS. THIS PHENOMENON HAS RAISED MANY QUESTIONS IN ALL CULTURES AND IN ALL SUCCESSIVE PERIODS OF TIME. DEPENDING ON THE EVOLUTION OF SOCIETY AND THE PERIOD OF THE ERA WE ARE DISCUSSING, SOME OF THE TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS THAT HAVE BEEN PASSED DOWN BY WORD OF MOUTH, FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION, ARE ON THE WAY TO EXTINCTION, AND THUS THEIR CONVERGENCE IS REQUIRED AS THEY ARE PART OF THE CULTURE OF EVERY PEOPLE. THUS, WE AS ROMANIAN PEOPLE ALSO HAVE SPECIAL CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS THAT MUST BE PRESERVED IN THE CULTURAL HERITAGE AS THEY CONTRIBUTE TO DEFINING OUR IDENTITY. WE EXEMPLIFY IN THIS SENSE, AT FUNERAL CEREMONIES, THE "DAWN" RITUAL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1950, the People's Republic of China began transforming the Eight Treasures Mountain (Babaoshan) into a national cemetery for its highest-ranking cadres and most devoted supporters. This article advances our understanding of how the People's Republic of China revolutionizes the way it uses the dead to legitimize its rule over the living. While the People's Republic of China seeks to erase the Imperial and Republican past, it follows its predecessors in shaping national memory by creating a sacred site for the loyal dead. Furthermore, despite atheist self-proclamation, the People's Republic of China relies on traditional beliefs and practices to memorialize its dead members. The state's attempts to shape national memory through these means have not been without resistance from the bereaved families, particularly under controversial circumstances. Besides these unsettled conflicts, the People's Republic of China faces the challenges posed by a growing number of the dead. The People's Republic of China tries to manage its necro-constituents by turning to information technology and eco-burial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses and discusses funeral participation and participants in funerals in Denmark. Through a data material consisting of survey data, observations and personal interviews, it asks: who participate in funerals, in terms of social background variables and in terms of relations with the deceased? What do participants do in the course of and in relation to the funeral? Which patterns are there between types of participants and patterns of actions? Through engaging theoretical concepts suggested by Bailey and Walter, as well as O’Rourke et al., as well as a practice-theoretical perspective, it suggests that not only are there quite clear patterns in participation and participants’ actions, but that these are also essential for the pursuit of funerals’ purposes as well as for forming funerals’ subjects. By doing that, it contributes to the so far rather limited research on funeral participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rituals are a way to express both personal and relational emotions. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted funerals around the world. Although the pandemic was not very severe in Finland, the restrictions on organizing and attending funerals were quite strict. This article seeks to uncover what kinds of emotions participants experienced when organizing and attending funerals during COVID-19, as well as what these emotions may reveal regarding funerals during a pandemic. The 45 letters that form the qualitative data of the research offer some important real-time insights into how funeral practices were experienced during the pandemic. Thematic analyses revealed the following main themes: irritation when organizing a funeral, contradictory emotions about attending a funeral, embodiment of emotions, and funeral ritual as a channel of meaning. The strongest negative emotions were directed towards the restrictions, rather than being the type of painful emotions normally connected with funerals and bereavement. Even though the letters focused on funerals, they additionally revealed reflections on the pandemic. This shows that the funeral acted both as a normal life cycle ritual and as a disaster ritual, which helped the writers to cope with the pandemic itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Death cuts the thread of a life, which is why the creations and manifestations were more sober, and more unified, with more obvious ritual survivals from the original cultural background. Funeral customs expressed the sorrow of separation, the concerns and fears of the living, and the emotions connected to the departed soul. Throughout history, there have been diverse attitudes towards death, not only among different nations and ethnic groups but also within their respective environments. In the past, various ancient cultures had unique beliefs and rites of passage, which have been adopted and incorporated into the cultural heritage of present-day ethnic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Religious Studies / Dini Araştırmalar is the property of Diyanet Isleri Baskanligi Yayinlari and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The use of ceramics dates back to very early periods of human history. Initially used to meet basic needs as a necessary material, ceramics expanded its area of use over time and became an integral part of human culture. In East Asia, in addition to its daily use, ceramics began to find its place in religious ceremonies with the increasing influence of religions such as Buddhism and Taoism. Due to the importance given to the sanctity of the deceased person and being sent off honorably, the tradition has begun to place the ashes of the deceased whose body underwent cremation in special urns as a sign of respect. Furthermore, the use of urns made of various materials has become more widespread. The most common ceramic containers produced were called URN. According to various cultural beliefs, ceramic containers called "Urn," "Burial Jar," and "Navs," usually in the form of vases, began to be frequently used for storing body ashes. Urns decorated with elaborate patterns reflecting the social status and culture of the deceased person with many distinctive features. Urns represent more than ordinary pottery used in daily life and carry a cultural value. While urns in East Asia were also made of materials other than ceramics, such as metal and wood, ceramics were generally used, which can be attributed to the region's rich and rooted ceramic culture. Exploring the history, meaning, and diversity of urns, which are an important part of traditional funeral ceremonies in East Asian cultures, is the purpose of this study. In the study, similarities and differences of urns made of different materials and shapes were examined in terms of their cultural meaning and symbolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Tiempos Modernos is the property of Tiempos Modernos and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The reality of death is attested by everyday experiences in all human societies. Whilst death is a universal phenomenon, the rites associated with dying, death and funeral differ from society to society. The Akan community of Ghana performs many rites from the time that one’s death is imminent till the final funeral rites are performed, and even afterward. One such rite is the presentation of Adesiedeɛ (burial items). Whilst there are many publications about Akan funeral rites, Adesiedeɛ has not received any significant scholarly attention. This study was, therefore, conducted to examine adesiedeɛ rite from an Akan socio-religious perspective. It is an empirical research that collected data through participant observations, field surveys and interviews. The paper argued that Akan funeral rituals associated with laying-in-state and burying of the corpse are deeply rooted in the Akan belief in ancestors and the desire of the living Akan to maintain a good relationship with the supernatural. The paper found a close correlation between the Akan socio-economic and religious worldview and the rite of presenting Adesiedeɛ. The research contributes to studies on Akan cultural and primal religion.

At a time when the natural death and home deathcare movements are gaining traction both in the UK and elsewhere, this article details an exploratory project on the barriers to and potential for caring for deceased people at home in England. A two-phase study, the paper uses data from a discourse analysis and interviews with deathcare professionals to show that there is limited information online on keeping the deceased person at home, and that participants felt that a lack of awareness was a significant barrier to families being able to make an informed choices about home deathcare. Including poor information provision, the paper identifies five reasons as to why there is a low uptake of home deathcare in England and makes recommendations for how each of these barriers may be overcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pottery stove is the product of agricultural civilization and food culture, and it was also the concrete embodiment of the development of material and ideological culture in the Han Dynasty, forming a universal funeral custom. 25 pottery stoves collected in the museum of Northwest Minzu University of the Han Dynasty contains typical features of Chinese culture, including round, horseshoe-shaped, square, rectangular and horseshoe-shaped utensils with feet. The rich patterns of the vessels show the vivid cooking activities, catering culture, funeral customs and concepts, reflecting the good wishes of the Han people to after life and future generations. This paper selects representative artifacts for typology analysis to provide reference for relevant research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The book of Jeremiah contains metaphors depicting Israel and Zion as a woman. These include the city as a mourning woman (4:19–21; 10:20). Real mourning women are addressed in Jer 9:17–22, following laments variously attributed to Jeremiah and/or Yahweh (8:18–9:2, 10). Working with the (MT) canonical form and engaging the insights of trauma studies, this article traces linguistic and thematic connections between the two passages before tracing similar connections to Rachel's lament (Jer 31). The mourning women in Jer 9 serve a societal role by giving voice to lament; this effective power is affirmed by trauma studies. When read alongside the lament by Jeremiah and/or Yahweh, this article notes the women also take up a prophetic role as with Jeremiah they embody and express Yahweh's own pathos. In ch. 31, the mourning women are metaphorically instantiated in the eponymous mother who also voices Yahweh's pathos yet remains uncomforted. This study points to the hope that arises from Yahweh's identification with his people in the pathos expressed by prophet, mourning women, and Rachel. Ultimately, Yahweh's identification with his people, and his words of hope offer comfort to unrequited lament. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reality of death is attested by everyday experiences in all human societies. Whilst death is a universal phenomenon, the rites associated with dying, death and funeral differ from society to society. The Akan community of Ghana performs many rites from the time that one’s death is imminent till the final funeral rites are performed, and even afterward. One such rite is the presentation of Adesiedeɛ (burial items). Whilst there are many publications about Akan funeral rites, Adesiedeɛ has not received any significant scholarly attention. This study was, therefore, conducted to examine adesiedeɛ rite from an Akan socio-religious perspective. It is an empirical research that collected data through participant observations, field surveys and interviews. The paper argued that Akan funeral rituals associated with laying-in-state and burying of the corpse are deeply rooted in the Akan belief in ancestors and the desire of the living Akan to maintain a good relationship with the supernatural. The paper found a close correlation between the Akan socio-economic and religious worldview and the rite of presenting Adesiedeɛ. The research contributes to studies on Akan cultural and primal religion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the study of the necropolis «Tsementnaya Slobodka I» on Ak-Burun Cape in the burial mound 2 the remnants of the funeral feast were found. It was seventeen attic red-figured and black-glazed vessels dated back to the 4th century BC. Fish-plate of Pierides painter and lekythos Talcott class, which were very rare for the Northern Black Sea Region, as well as red-figure pelike and ascos, were among them. In general, the complex has analogies in funeral feasts from the Hospital barrow, South-East Necropolis of Phanagoria and Necropolis of Nymphaeum.

The legal attempts to curb funeral lavishness and extravagance come into two groups: the first includes the provisions of the Law of the XII Tables, the second the lex Cornelia sumptuaria (81 BC), and the leges Iuliae sumptuariae (46 BC, 18 AD) (Rotondi, Sauerwein). In this presentation, the focus is drawn to the provisions in the XII tables. In ancient law, funeral sumptuousness was mainly regulated by the Law of the XII Tables. Prior to the early Republic, some restrictive measures appeared in the so-called leges regiae. Spectacular, artistically designed, and expensive funeral ceremonies and processions were not far from the Roman thought. As a result, the provisions on Table X restricting these lavish ceremonies could be considered as direct precursors of leges sumptuariae (Sauerwein) since the immoderate spending constituted a substantial and profound social problem, even though this excess was available only to the upper class. The casuistic and detailed rules of the XII Tables suggest that the extravagance of funerals and burials could not be categorically severed from the worship of the gods. Therefore these rules are directly related to religio. The sources include Cicero's texts in De legibus, Polybios' detailed account of Roman funeral rites, and Pliny the Elder's reports on funeral customs. These texts show that many rituals were associated with worshipping the gods and sacrificial rites. This circumstance underpins the religious origin and character of these rules. At this point, however, interesting questions arise from this observation. Why is the ius sepulcrorum linked with religio? Did the proper worship of the gods serve as a sufficient justification for more intensive obedience? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of the Faculty of Theology / Kilis 7 Aralik Universitesi Ilahiyat Fakultesi Dergisi is the property of Kilis 7 Aralik Universitesi Ilahiyat Fakultesi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Many funeral guidance and regulations were imposed during Covid-19 restriction movement to control the risk of Corona spreading, such as maintaining the social distance and in/outdoor safe gathering. Due to the high risk of the contagion, some religious rites were avoided like the gathering of many comforters, take the farewell look at the deceased and almost cancelling the decrees of religious burying and grief, which are spiritual potion for those who lost their loved ones. Since both Judaism and Islam forbid cremation, the burial rites should be strictly monitored and the decision of holding a modified mourning tributes for the deceased must be taken cautiously and in cooperation with the competent medical authority. But how does the new funeral regulation coincide with religious values? And how Jewish and Islamic traditions about washing the infected deceased’s body, burial shroud, coffin, cemetery, initial mourning period and other customs could be preventive healthcare instructions? This article is attempting to answer these questions in the light of the Biblical and Quranic teachings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Burial and funeral practices are important customary mortuary rituals, especially in rural areas as people are likely to have different values and interests than people who live in larger cities. However, little is known about rural post-death practices in Canada. Aims: This review gathered information on funeral and burial practices in rural Alberta, a western Canadian province with a diverse rural population. Methods: A literature review of community print sources, including obituaries and funeral home websites, was conducted for select representative rural communities. Findings: This review found that cremations outnumber burials, and mortuary ceremonies more commonly occur in non-religious settings. Furthermore, personalised post-death rituals were identified as highly significant to rural people as they allow the dead to remain connected to their rural land, family and community. Conclusion: It is important to understand rural mortuary rituals to help prepare dying rural people and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has put a hold on the Silent Mentor Programme (SMP); this pause has not only caused unprecedented challenges for the delivery of medical education but has forced changes in the programme ceremony sessions. We aimed to describe the psychological impact and experiences of family members of silent mentors during the COVID-19 pandemic using qualitative interviews. Many expressed feelings of remorse and unrest about the unprecedented delay of the SMP. The delay increased negative emotions particularly among some elderly family members; however, there was no prominent negative effect on their functional health and well-being. Several participants relayed the belief that the soul cannot rest until the body receives a proper burial while some worried about the deterioration of the physical condition of the mentors. In conclusion, findings provide insights into the importance of not overlooking the mental health implications of delaying the SMP in future outbreaks or crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK, end-of-life rituals and funerals across groups of all faiths and none took on a new character due to government-imposed measures to control disease transmission. This article aims to explore the challenges faced by British-Bangladeshi Muslims in relation to performing end-of-life, funeral, and mourning rituals during the first pandemic wave, underpinned by the perception of a 'good death'. This group was among those disproportionately affected by Covid-19-related mortality and morbidity. Contextualising the study within a review of the literature on deathscapes and shifting policy responses to multicultural populations in the UK, and using an in-depth qualitative research approach, the article highlights the ways in which pre-existing challenges facing individuals seeking Islamic end-of-life, funeral and bereavement rituals have been exacerbated by Covid-19. The article offers new empirical and conceptual insights into the spatio-temporal dimension of end-of-life and funerary practices performed by British-Bangladeshi Muslims to achieve a good death and the changing nature of embodied and virtual deathscapes triggered by the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of cultural interference and integration among ethnic groups in the new land, the Tay people in Dak Lak province retain a deeply-rooted ethnic cultural tradition. Ancestor worship ranks high in their spiritual life; therefore, the passage of the dead from the physical world to the afterlife one of their ancestors is an essential part in the funeral rites. The long-standing ethnic cultural values in the funeral rites of Tay people are crucial norms of their spiritual culture which reflect their moral values and views of human and life. The article explores the rites of passage of Tay people in Dak Lak province, thereby clarifying their worldview and concept of afterlife¹. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the Queen Elizabeth death metaphors in BBC and The Guardian. As an influential person, the death of Queen Elizabeth plays a significant role in the British public event. Then, it is essential to research how death metaphors are built in two famous online news. This research is a corpus-based study, and the source data obtained from news publishing about the queen's death. The data collected is approximately one month of the news after the queen's death. BBC consisted of 449.573-word tokens, and 519.773-word tokens was contained in The Guardian and the total of word tokens were 969,346. The conceptual metaphor theory by Lakoff and Johnson (1980) is used to identify the death metaphors. The result of this study is that all the death metaphors in BBC and The Guardian show the same concept. It means both online news had a similar cognitive view of the queen's death. The source domain is about spectacle, journey, end, ending of the journey, rest, and departure. The death metaphor is familiar in human life affected by experimental bases. In contrast, funeral metaphors are uncommon and strongly influenced by the social setting when publishing the news.

Neanderthals are at the moment regarded as the originators of funeral rituals. The connection of the Neanderthals to Africa is understudied and in most cases not conclusive yet Africans practice funeral rituals as if it is the primary reason for their existence. Considering the importance of funerals to the African man and woman, there is a need to understand why there is lesser interest or lesser research on the connection between Neanderthals and the early humans who lived in Africa. Using references from researches carried out about funeral items found in Neanderthal graves and citing Yoruba burial rites as an example of a funeral ritual, I investigated the role of Africa in initiating the afterlife beliefs in addition to funeral rituals. The primary purpose of this research is to clearly show the gap created in the study about how funeral rituals started in Africa. The researcher observed that the contribution of early humans to the study of human development in Africa is understudied. Contribution: There is a general view that the Neanderthals contributed so much to the civilization of modern humans. The theories pertaining to the origins of funeral rituals are at present attributed to them. The archaeological or paleontological remains of Neanderthals have not been found in Africa. Many questions are raised regarding the role of Africa in initiating and spreading beliefs that pertained to funerals. Scholars in the fields of anthropology, archaeology and comparative religion will benefit from this research because it raises questions on the need to debate the contribution of Africa to the study of funeral rituals.

In this paper, I reflect upon the methodological implications of digitization and digital methods for situational analysis. I carefully read Noortje MARRES's argument for and development of what she called situational analytics. I ask how her proposal would be incorporated within a situational analysis project of digitization and funerals. I develop a provisional research design, as a kind of thought experiment, weaving my reflections on situational analysis and digital methods through an autoethnographic account of mourning in the enforced digital of the COVID-19 pandemic. I conclude with the argument that such digital methods are necessary for situational analysis to reckon with, and yet also pose a risk of erasing the embodied and affective elements of a situation. I contend that the poiesis of ethnographic research—where mediated and embodied interactions qua situations are experienced and written into language, and writing forms a necessary but always also impossible task—remains rooted in bodies and affects that are always also elements in situational analysis. We cannot lose track of those elements that also defy the digitized elements of any given situation.

Death among the Igbo is not the end of existence but is seen as an access road to the otherworld. Hence it is seen as the spin-off of the send-forth of the dead to the next phase of existence more commonly known as ancestry. This send-forth, defined in the framework of funeral encodes a chain of creative and spontaneous acts and actions which tend to democratise the pain of death and the burden of attendant funeral in line with the principles of Igbo thanatology. Furthermore, if art can be spontaneous, then some of the activities that characterise the funeral arena can be seen as creative actions arising from the agency of death. But even at that, they are not a frivolous affair devoted to mere jolitty and fanfare. Rather, Igbo funerals help to demonstrate the interface of this life and the next through culturally coded actions and performances that approximate some of the essences of art in their outlook and content. This paper examines the processes of dying and death and the politics of after-death in Igbo land with the attendant renegotiation of reality as well as the evolution of funeral in Igbo land in the mill of postcoloniality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the critical role that field reflections played in establishing the overlapping engagement of dance movement notation and the sociocultural relevance of embodied techniques in funeral ceremonies to the chain of transmission of the Ebola virus disease in Sierra Leone. Expanding from the research paper entitled "Ebola and Moving People: Understanding the Role of Embodied Techniques in Funeral Ceremonies to the Chain of Transmission of the Ebola Virus in Sierra Leone Through Movement Analysis," this paper narrates personal field experiences and realizations on the dynamics happening in the social field that clarified how funeral ceremonies were equally responsible in impeding and spreading the Ebola virus. On this note, this paper emphasizes the significance of field reflections in demonstrating the methodological and analytical principles of dance anthropology which helped people realize that cultural practices like funeral ceremonies were not causes, but were mere conduits of mobility for the Ebola virus. Field reflections then provide an understanding of the "human factor" that makes Ebola's chain of transmission in the eyes of the local communities easier to understand. This realization abetted the "stop" of this transmission when state protocols were re-evaluated to accommodate cultural findings in the latter part of the humanitarian assistance. This paper uses ethnographic inquiry in sharing the experiences and realizations in the fieldwork sites of Freetown, Port Loko, and Koinadugu in Sierra Leone. The reflections were extracted from observation sessions, interviews, informal dialogues, and focus group discussions in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neanderthals are at the moment regarded as the originators of funeral rituals. The connection of the Neanderthals to Africa is understudied and in most cases not conclusive yet Africans practice funeral rituals as if it is the primary reason for their existence. Considering the importance of funerals to the African man and woman, there is a need to understand why there is lesser interest or lesser research on the connection between Neanderthals and the early humans who lived in Africa. Using references from researches carried out about funeral items found in Neanderthal graves and citing Yoruba burial rites as an example of a funeral ritual, I investigated the role of Africa in initiating the afterlife beliefs in addition to funeral rituals. The primary purpose of this research is to clearly show the gap created in the study about how funeral rituals started in Africa. The researcher observed that the contribution of early humans to the study of human development in Africa is understudied. Contribution: There is a general view that the Neanderthals contributed so much to the civilization of modern humans. The theories pertaining to the origins of funeral rituals are at present attributed to them. The archaeological or paleontological remains of Neanderthals have not been found in Africa. Many questions are raised regarding the role of Africa in initiating and spreading beliefs that pertained to funerals. Scholars in the fields of anthropology, archaeology and comparative religion will benefit from this research because it raises questions on the need to debate the contribution of Africa to the study of funeral rituals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper dwells into the concept of death and afterlife for the Lepchas. The Lepcha concept of death and funeral is in itself one of the earliest ideas which have existed for a very long time. The Lepcha ritual practice varies from their traditional to the so called present day syncretised methods and ideals. From the importance of Bongthings and muns, to the cultural beliefs of purity and mourning, the paper aims to describe the rituals and the concept of death from a Lepcha's perspective. From the observation of the death of a family member to the purification of the family members, it aims to look into the various stages through which the funeral ceremony passes through. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The question of death is essential at the level of individuals as well as society, from primitive tribes to high theology, ethics or philosophy. The Latin name for death--exitus letalis (natural departure)--implicitly suggests that death in our culture does not mean a definitive end but a mere "departure." Based on the funeral rituals and myths found in nearly all cultures, almost none considered death to be a definitive end. What part of us departs, to where, in what way? What transcends our death? People in each historical period have had to address questions related to death and in time, developed a whole order of different rituals, ceremonies, myths and ideas embodied in art. No other period has been so permeated by thoughts of death as the Middle Ages. Being a part of everyday life, death was omnipresent, perceived as an inseparable part of the world of the living and the rituals that accompanied the dying person, the burial as well as requiem rites, were not an individual matter, but a societal event. The main aim of the present issue is to examine various aspects of predeath and funeral rituals in the Middle Ages within the context of Central Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]