Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1884-07-04
CREMATION CEREMONTALS.
BURY1NG or TIE LEAD III vARIoUs
C0UNTRIE5.
A Cremation CeTem say in Siam-Ori-
entail Ponlp and JHagniEiceace-An
Indian Cremation Scene.

AS much interest Is being evlnced Just
now in the cremation question, the fol-
lowing account of some methods of burn
ing the dead are apropos;
Here is an account of cremation GER
emony which took place in Siam, where
only those are buried who cannot pay
the fees. To be cremated in Siam must
be pleasure. When the time for the
funeral arrives the body is laid in a re
ceptacle on the summit of a stately pyra-
mid, the form and material of which in
dicate the wealth and position of the de-
ceased. 1t is thickly gilded and the
receptacle lined with plates of solid gold,
when the body has belonged to one of
royal lineage and well-flled Golfers.
The last is quite as essential as the first
to a gorgeous Oriental funeral, since for
rank without money an East Indian has
ever the most profound contempt. Both
requisites were fortunately united in the
person of the queen mother of King Pra-
Nang-Klau. AT the funeral of this aged
queen there was such adisplay of Oriental
magniicence as rarely falls to the lot of
Western eyes to witness. The embalmed
body lay in state under q golden canopy
for eight months; the myrrh, franklin
cense and aromatic oils used in its
preparation cost upward of 81, 900, and
the golden pyre above G20, 900 The
hangings were of the richest silks and
velvets, trimmed with bullion fringe and
costly lace, and the wrappings of the
body of pure white silk, embroidered
with pearls and precious stones. Incred-
ible quantities of massive jewelry decked
the shrunken corpse, and diadem of
glittering gems cast its prismatic radi-
ance over the withered features. Tiny
golden lamps, fed with perfumed oil,
burned day and night around the pyre,
while every portion of the vast saloon
was decorated with rare .and beautiful
flowers, arranged mall various forms of
crowns, sceptres, temples, angels, birds,
lanterns, wreaths and arches, till Flora
herself might have wondered at the
boundless resources of her domain. Day
and night musical instruments were
played, dirges walled forth and prostra-
tion perpetually performed; while twice
every day the king, attended by his whole
court, made offerings to the departed
spirit, beat his breast, tore his hair and
declared life "utterly unendurable with
ont the beloved one."
Here is an account of cremation
among the North American Indians, the
Cocopa tribe, on the Colorado river: A
short distance from the collection of
thatched huts which composed the village
a shallow ditch has been dug in the
fln prf H. So1, 1os1
of the mesquite (prosopis and strom-
bocarpus) hard and dense wood,
which makes. as all Western campaigners
know, very hot fire with little flame or
smoke. After a short time the body was
brought from the village, surrounded by
the family and other inhabitants, and
laid on the logs in the trench The rela-
tives, as is usual with the Indians, had
their faces disfigured with black paint,
and the females, as is the custom with
other savages, made very loud exclama-
tions of grief, mingled with what is sup
posed to be funeral songs. Some smaller
fagots were then placed on top, few
personal effects of the dead man added,
and fire applied. After time dense
mass of dark-colored smoke arose, and
the burning of the body, which was not
emaciated, proceeded rapidly. l (says
the eye-witness) began to be rather tired
of the spectacle, and was about to go
away, when one of the Indians, in few
words of Spanish, told me to remain, as
there was something yet to be seen. An
old man then advanced from the assem-
blage. with long pointed stick in his
hand. Going near to the burning body,
he removed the eyes, holding them sue
cessively in the direction of the sun, with
his face turned toward that luminary, re-
peating at the same time some words
which understood from our guide was
prayer for the happiness of the soul OF
the deceased. After this more fagots
were heaped on the fire, which was kept
up for perhaps three or four hours longer.
did not remain, as there was nothing
more of interest, but l learned on inquiry
that after the fire was burned out it was
the custom to collect the fragments OF
bone which remained and put them in q
terra Gotta vase, which was kept under
the care of the family.
The modes of disposing of the dead
are many and curious. The Hindoos,
for instance, expose their dead on the
banks of the Ganges and the Hooghly
to be carried away by alligators. The
Parsees expose their bodies upon high
grating to feed the birds of prey Vertz
advocates burial at sea, and pictures the
"death-ship. daily departing from the
strand with its llfeless burden, and rever-
emily and prayerfully committing the
bodies to the deep" The only people,
it appears, who practice sea burial, are
the aborigines of the Chatham islands.
When fisherman there departs this life,
they put baited rod in his hand, and,
after lash:ng him fast in boat, send
him adrift to sea. According to Mr..
Eassie, a method of petrifaction has been
broached, but has met with no success.
The system pursued by the ancient Peru
vians was ingenious and apparently effec-
tive. 1t consisted of piling up coffins OF
plaster in pyramid fashion. One, care
fully examined, measured over $500, 000
cubic feet, and was one mass of half
mummied bodies. OF burial in the earth
the most persistent practicers are the
Chinese. Then there is embalmment,
and an analogous process which consists
of drying up the body and then interring
it. A tribe in South Australia place
their deceased in a sitting posture neal
the top of the hut and keep up the fire
until it is dry, when they proceed to
bandage it. eventually hiding it away in
the branches of trees.
The following compilation from a
burial service of the Brahmins, who are
the priests of all the other castles of Hin
docs that burn their dead, may prove in
teresting to the reader. 1t is extracted
from the Sacred Anthology"
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