Not Yet Sikat

“…a unique burial ritual involving the placement of dead relatives into caves after carefully preparing a hollowed out log. These coffins are carved by the elderly before they die; if they are too ill or weak their son or other close relative will do it for them. This ritual involves pushing the bodies into the tight spaces of the coffins, and often bones are cracked and broken as the process is completed. After the deceased are put inside these coffins they are then brought to caves high in the cliffs where they join the coffins of other ancestors.”(via infinitelycrazy)

I didn’t know that we had hanging coffins here in the Philippines! Check out these posts by bloggers who have visited Sagada in Luzon.

• Cris without an H has a lot of photos of these marvels
• Wandering the planet writes about her trip: “Every fiesta includes an invitation to the dead, and the sacrifice of a chicken or a donation of alcohol specifically to keep them happy.“
• MVmanunulat posts his daily journal entries from his trip: “Alone in the dark I contemplate myths & deaths, my hands occasionally rubbing against what locals call the pregnant woman, the smooth rock wall protruding to make the 2 breasts & the baby bump. Hail Marys did little to relieve the anxiety…“

(photo by bullish1974)