How Different Cultures Honor Their Ancestors

Every culture views older generations of their family differently. Some cultures believe that the dead continue to exist, while others believe they can predict the living members' futures. Some religious groups pray for departed souls, while others believe such prayers to be a sin. All around the world, different beliefs and rituals are associated with the deceased.

Starting with Africa, many believe that dying is not enough to become an ancestor; one must live a certain type of life and achieve specific moral and social goals to gain the status of an ancestor. In the Madagascar region, all the dead are buried in tombs where a supreme being rewards or punishes the individual. In some regions of Africa, funerals are communal events where people honor and please the dead with sacrifices and offerings.

According to Western traditions, memorial services or funerals are held, where eulogies and personal stories are shared. In Christianity, saints and martyrs are revered through feast days and relics. In Catholicism, many saints are celebrated with the idea that their lives should be remembered and honored. There is also an All Souls’ Day, which is a day to pray for deceased souls in purgatory or hell, to help them in their journey to heaven.

In Asia, the dominant religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam honor their deceased differently. In Hinduism, the bodies are almost always cremated, and funerals are a social mourning function. The ashes from the cremation are then placed in the Ganga River. Shraddha rituals are also performed during specific periods after death, involving offerings and prayers for the soul to reach peace and liberation. Buddhism believes in rituals that create merit to benefit the deceased’s rebirth journey, such as giving alms or chanting. They also give offerings and practice rituals to honor their ancestors and seek their blessings. In Islam, duas for prayers are spoken for the dead, which are essentially Quranic verses. These prayers ask for forgiveness and peace for the deceased’s soul. They also have grave visits, during which prayers are recited to remember and honor the deceased.

All in all, every culture honors and venerates their deceased and ancestors differently, and it was interesting for me to compare the beliefs and rituals to each other.

This is an example of a Hindu funeral ceremony of cremation and you can see how its a social event to honor the dead.