Monday, September 27, 2010

Only the Pagans dance with the dead – or is that something we too should consider?

The New York Times featured an interesting read about Famadihana, which is a Madagascan ritual or tradition, practiced more widely by the Malagasy people. In this tradition, the bones and (probably completely petrified by then) remains of the dead ancestors are brought out of their crypts once every 2 to 7 years. The living family members then, in a joyous atmosphere featuring live music, will literally dance with their deceased forebears, honouring them and remembering them and the contributions that they made to their present lives. Fresh silk linen is then used to wrap the bones once again reverently, before placing them back into the crypts. Apparently, the main motive behind this tradition is to give honour to the dead, and to celebrate their connectedness with the living.

A macabre dance? Unthinkable in our modern era? Something leftover from a former time when people just followed tradition blindly? Perhaps. But the little research that I did about this event taught me that the Catholic Church in Madagascar no longer objects to this as she regards this as a purely cultural rather than a religious event. It is the peoples’ way of respecting the dead and a chance for the whole family to come together, a time for communion with the dead and the living, and a means of avoiding or reducing guilt or blame.

I couldn’t help but be happy for the Malagasy Catholic folk who have this event to help them to reconnect with and to celebrate life, and in the process, be in touch (very literally here) with death, which is something that all of us will have to encounter and accept. Often, fear is one of the leading factors people cling on to life, and sometimes, it is not life that one is clinging on to, but what they perceive as giving them life. And that is why many are clinging on to guilt, habits, egocentricities, idiosyncrasies, materialism, and control. A healthy approach to death and dying must be featured in any religion that hopes to bring its devotees to any kind of maturity and growth. The more we shun any talk of it, the more we put it at the fringes of our conversation and speak in ‘sotto voce’ anything that connects with death and dying, a very unhealthy message is sent out to our younger generation that prevents them from growing up with a fearlessness and courage that truly marks a mature person.

In our Catholic faith, we have celebrations and feasts that honour the deceased – our loved ones (All Souls’ Day), our heroes (any feast of the Martyrs) and even the dying (few actually have participated in the very beautiful prayers for the Commendation of the Dying). Being in touch with God and one another at these ‘border situations’ allow us all to foster and develop what is known as a ‘mellowness of heart’. And I believe that it is this mellowness that helps one to be more charitable, patient, outreaching and merciful when it is asked of by both loved ones and those who hate us.

One thing that struck me about Famadihana was that it is supposed to be done in a spirit of joy and celebration. When we observe rites and rituals about our deceased, don’t we often leave out that element? When we clean the gravesites or visit their columbaria where their remains are kept, we don’t often go with ‘celebration’ in our hearts, being thankful for the joy our connectedness gave us, and even continues to give us despite our physical separation? Even our funeral Masses are ‘celebrated’, aren’t they? We must come to a point in our lives when indeed, the lives of our deceased are truly celebrated and not just mourned.

Anyone who has participated in a funeral liturgy, and has known the deceased lying in the casket, will be moved. The irony that presents itself there is almost deafening – the one person who cannot move anymore, who cannot breath anymore and whose heart has stopped beating is the one person who can bring all who are present there to move in a new way, breathe in a new way, and for his or her heart to beat in a new way, and from there, walk in a new way, especially when we become reminded of our own mortality and promise that our lives can bring to others.

When our lives are moved in that way, aren’t we also doing a sort of ‘Famadihana’ of our kind, where we ‘dance’ with the dead?

5 comments:

  1. Mexicans celebrate El Dia de los Muertos which is the “Day of the Dead”. It is a day to celebrate, remember and prepare special foods in honor of those who have departed. On this day in Mexico, the streets near the cemeteries are filled with decorations of flowers, candy, skeletons and skulls and there are parade celebrations. It is believed that the spirit of the dead visits their families on 31st October and leave on 2nd November. In order to commemorate, the families make altars place food offerings of food baked in shapes of skulls and figures, candles, incense, yellow marigolds known as cempazuchitl and most notably a photo the departed soul is placed on the altar. The Mexicans react to death with mourning along with happiness and joy and they look at death with the same fear as any other culture, but there is a difference. They reflect their fear by living alongside death to learn to accept it within their lives. Death is apparent in everyday life. At the cemetery, music is played and dances are made to honor the spirits.

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  2. Hi Fr Luke, your last paragraph is indeed most meaningful in itself...worth reading many times!

    Anyone who has participated in a funeral liturgy, and has known the deceased lying in the casket, will be moved. The irony that presents itself there is almost deafening – the one person who cannot move anymore, who cannot breath anymore and whose heart has stopped beating is the one person who can bring all who are present there to move in a new way, breathe in a new way, and for his or her heart to beat in a new way, and from there, walk in a new way, especially when we become reminded of our own mortality and promise that our lives can bring to others.

    When my mother died 3 years ago, her funeral Mass was my most beautiful experience. The same thoughts went through my mind. I see myself one day lying there on my last journey blessed by the Church and I became filled with awe and entered the twilight zone as I prayed every word with full attentiveness.

    I pray ever more that my passing would open up the heavens in my last Mass with angels surrounding my coffin and Mother Mary beside me! Amen.

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  3. St Joseph's Home has an interesting way of celebrating life. Check out these beautiful coffins and the motivation of these wonderful Catholics to be witnesses of the Kingdom's life on Earth http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/lifestylenews/view/1083851/1/.html

    When I was younger and was attending a small protestant church, I was told by the elders there that I was not supposed to pray to our dead. I believe it was an extension to cutting off relationship with my parents if they were to object to me becoming a Christian. (Anyway, this is a story for another day.)

    When I became a Catholic, I realised that it is also truth that our Church does not pray to the dead. However, we are asked to pray for the dead and to pray with the Saints alive in heaven. It is this praying for and praying with that I find so beautiful. If we were truly one Body of Christ, we need to realise our community is not only the present alive, but that this Body also includes those who are in heaven, who are in purgatory and who are yet to be born. How not to have a "mellowness of heart" when we notice how those who have gone before us teach us how to celebrate life, how to live a life of grace, how to be holy? ... and how they remind us that our own lives on Earth will give abundant life to others and how our actions will allow those who are yet to be born the opportunity to celebrate life?

    Going back to the St Joseph's Home story, perhaps I should go design my coffin. I have more or less decided on my funeral liturgy (and I am hardly middle-age). All this because I like to know that I have celebrated well my life with my family and friends, and my death is an affirmation of my yet-another dance with The Eternal.

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  4. Father, I'm so very glad I found this site. I've spent a bit of time meandering through a few of your recent posts, and I will definitely be back. Thank you for your thoughtful reflections.

    God bless you.

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  5. I'd like to thank the many who have contributed very constructive comments to my blog since I began this 'venture' a year ago. Readers from many countries across the globe have written in, and it still amazes me that something like this can have such a 'global' readership, eliciting many warm and encouraging responses. Being listed on Our Sunday Visitor's list of recommended Catholic blogs has helped to increase awareness of my little private 'teaching' space, and I do hope that I will continue to be inspired weekly to put something worth reading and reflecting on. Do continue to pray for me as I continue in this ministry that aims to reach out to as many as possible, bringing them to see the beauty and truth of our Catholic faith.

    God bless and love you all
    Fr Luke

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