Death Around the World: How Different Cultures Say Goodbye
From Everendium · Last reviewed October 24, 2026
Quick answer
Cultures mark death in very different ways, but many share the same needs: to care for the dead, to comfort the living, and to stay connected to those who have died. Practices include festivals of the dead, ancestor altars, community vigils, exposure to the elements, and elaborate funerals. This guide groups traditions by theme and links to detailed articles on each.
Death is universal. How people mark it is not. This guide groups traditions by what they are trying to do, and links to a fuller article on each. It describes practices as they are publicly documented. Individual families differ, and no tradition is a rule for every person from that culture.
How do cultures stay close to their ancestors?
Often through regular rituals. In Madagascar, families open the tomb every five to seven years to rewrap their ancestors in fresh silk, according to CNN; see Famadihana. In Mexico, families build altars on November 1 and 2; see Mexico’s Día de los Muertos. Many Japanese families keep a Buddhist altar at home; see The Japanese Buddhist Home Altar. For the wider pattern, read Ancestor Veneration Around the World.
Are there festivals of the dead in other places?
Yes, many. A Lone Star College guide lists several that fall at the same time of year as Día de los Muertos, including Samhain among ancient Celts and modern Pagans (October 31 to November 1), Fèt Gede in Haiti (November 1 and 2), a Sicilian day of the dead on November 2, and Pchum Ben in Cambodia. For two of them, see Haitian Funeral Traditions and Cambodian (Khmer) Funeral Traditions.
How do communities mourn together?
In ways that can last days. Te Ara says a Māori tangihanga often lasts about three days on a marae; see Māori Tangihanga. The Irish wake began as a community vigil; see The Irish Wake. Government guidance in New South Wales explains that in many Aboriginal communities the whole community comes together for “Sorry Business”; see Sorry Business. Other examples are Why New Orleans Funerals Have Jazz and Toraja Funeral Traditions.
How do cultures care for the body?
In very different ways. Tibetan Buddhists practice sky burial, and Parsi Zoroastrians have used Towers of Silence. Atlas Obscura notes that most of Tibet is above the tree line, so wood for cremation is scarce. Al Jazeera reports that Parsis consider earth and water too sacred to pollute. See Sky Burial and Zoroastrian Funeral Traditions. For the oldest approaches, see Mummification and Viking Funerals.
What about beliefs about judgment and the afterlife?
They shape rituals. The Metropolitan Museum of Art explains that Egyptian funerary texts were meant to help the dead through a final judgment; see The Egyptian Book of the Dead. For beliefs across religions, see What Do Different Religions Believe Happens After We Die?.
Where can I find guides to specific communities?
Here are the guides on this site, including Chinese, Korean, Hmong, Arab and Middle Eastern, Latino, and Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian traditions, as well as faith traditions such as Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh practices.
Sources
- Te Ara, the Encyclopedia of New Zealand - Tangihanga: death customs(Government)
- CNN - Famadihana: the family reunion where the dead get an invite(News)
- NSW Government - Guidelines for Aboriginal cultural and spiritual requirements for burial and cremation in NSW(Government)
- Metropolitan Museum of Art - Book of the Dead for the Chantress of Amun, Nauny(Academic or research)
- Al Jazeera - Without vultures, fate of Parsi 'sky burials' uncertain(News)
- Atlas Obscura - Give My Body to the Birds: The Practice of Sky Burial(News)
- Lone Star College - Día de los Muertos research guide (festivals of the dead around the world)(Academic or research)
About this review
Everendium Editorial Team · last reviewed October 24, 2026.
Rewritten October 24, 2026 from Te Ara (the New Zealand government's encyclopedia), CNN, the NSW Government, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Al Jazeera, Atlas Obscura, and a Lone Star College research guide. The earlier version of this article had no figures and relied on one general source. This is an overview, and each linked article lists its own sources. It has not been reviewed by a named expert. Recommended for review by an anthropologist and members of the communities described before this article is promoted widely.
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