Drinking Beer on the Bier Trivia Quiz

Answer: New Orleans (USA)

Can you think of a more cathartic way to rid yourself of grief than by dancing it away? One of the endearing images of the city of New Orleans in Louisiana is the jazz-led funeral procession. It brings together a number of different traditions drawn from its mixture of French, African and American cultures to strike a delicate balance between the sorrow of the passing and the celebration of the life that has been had.

The procession is led by a jazz band which will play dirges until the coffin is laid to rest, at which point it will strike a joyful note.

Answer: Fire

The Balinese believe that the soul of the deceased must be released so that it can reach the upper realms where it will await its rebirth. However, there is competition here and it comes from the lower (evil) realms who also want the soul for their own ends. A proper cremation is seen as a way to enhance the chances of the soul reaching the upper realms. The Balinese Hindus see this as a sacred duty they must perform for the deceased.

One of the most famous cremations in Bali took place in 2008. This was a lavish ceremony that saw the cremation of the head of the royal family, Agung Suyasa. His body was burned along with those of 68 deceased common folk, along with enormous sculptures of a dragon and a bull.

Answer: True

Bodies would be wrapped in mat or bamboo and then suspended from trees as it was believed that this helped the soul's accession to Heaven. If a family member became ill, they would choose the tree they wished to be buried in. During the 20th century, however, this became difficult due to the significant rise in the Abaca (Manilla hemp) plantation systems.

The locals have since adopted a new tradition where they would gather around the corpse and tell stories and jokes and sing, dance and play music.

This was seen as a way to ease both the passages of the soul and the family's own grief.

Answer: Tower of Silence

One Zoroastrian tradition deems that a dead body defiles everything that it comes in contact with and, this includes, the ground that it lies on. Even fire is not cleansing and is considered to be defiled by the dead. Their solution is similar to that of the Vajrayana Buddhists of Tibet.

They raise the body onto a Tower of Silence and leave it there for the vultures to devour. However, before that, they seek to clean the body. This is done with bull's urine. Once complete the clothes are removed using specific tools.

These tools are then destroyed. The body is then placed on the Tower.

Answer: Turning of the bones

Famadihana, a tradition on the island of Madagascar, is believed to have started in the 17th century, however, the practice, these days, is in decline. The ceremony involves exhuming the body from the ancestral crypt after seven years, spraying it with wine or perfume and re-shrouding it. A band strikes up and a celebration commences. Family members will dance, raising the body and holding it above their heads. They will bring the deceased up to date with events and tell stories to the group. The name of the deceased is then recorded on the new shroud so that the deceased is not forgotten and then the body is returned to its crypt.

I did mention that this ceremony is on the wane and that is due to the increasing costs of silk shrouds and the thought that the practice may have links to pneumonic plague that was prevalent in the area for a period of time.

Answer: Beads

"The Week" magazine, in a 2015 story, put it subtly with the headline; "Ashes to ashes and dust to... beads". Due to South Korea's dwindling supply of land for burials, a law was passed in 2000 that any family that buried a loved one after that date would need to dig the body back up after sixty years. Burials were the preferred option for South Koreans as it followed the Confucian code of respect for the deceased.

However, since the passing of the law, these have dropped significantly and cremation is now the method of choice for most residents. Local companies have taken to compressing the ashes into beads that can then be placed in a bowl in the home.

In this way the loved one is still close at hand and the due respects can be maintained.

Answer: Leaving the deceased exposed on a mountain top

The Vajrayana Buddhists of Tibet (and also Mongolia) are of the firm belief that the soul will transmigrate upon the passing of the body. In other words, the soul would pass from one body to another... it's a little like saying that the cat rubbing against your leg could well be your reincarnated grandmother.

The body, itself, is merely an empty vessel and it is returned to the earth. To this end it is chopped up and left exposed to the elements on a mountain top. This also invites carrion eaters, such as vultures, which will speed up this process.

Answer: True

It is believed, by the Australian Aboriginals, that the speaking of the deceased's name is likely to recall or disturb their spirit. Instead, an alternate name is put forward when speaking of the one that has left this earth. These include, amongst others, 'Kumanjayi', 'Kwementyaye' or 'Kunmanara'. Since the colonisation of Australia this practice (or law) has diminished, particularly on Australia's east coast.

It is still a common practice in the Northern Territory where the traditions still remain strong within the communities. Additionally, it is not unusual that families will not retain the images (photographs) of those that have passed for the same fear. Consequently, some Australian television stations are likely to post warnings that the following stories or films may contain images of deceased people.

Answer: Green funeral

Definitely an environmentally friendly way to go. This method will also eschew concrete vaults and metal objects on the casket. Instead the casket is usually made from a woven willow, all of which will decompose a lot more readily. Another option that is starting to gain favour in the United States are "reef balls" where the remains of the deceased are compressed into a sphere and attached to a reef.

Answer: One that has a connection to the totem of the deceased

The coffin is also known as a figurative palanquin and it is a reflection of the life and personality of the deceased. The Ga people (from the Greater Accra region) of Ghana have a firm belief that death is not the end of the journey and that, in the afterlife, the deceased's journey will continue in a similar manner... hence the link (or reflection) of their totem in this life.

For example, a farmer may be buried in a coffin shaped like a red-hot chili pepper, which would indicate that the person in question may have had a short fuse, he was very temperamental and not one that was to be messed with.