15 Strange Funeral Customs From Around the World

 Making jewelry from the hair of the deceased

As anyone who has ever cleaned out a shower drain knows, human hair is surprisingly resistant to breaking down over time. Mummies from thousands of years ago have been discovered with hair that looks almost undisturbed. So if you are looking to keep a vestige of your loved one after death, hair is a personal and durable memento. While one expert notes that, “Humans have been saving hair for as long as we’ve been burying our dead,” the custom became particularly popular during the Victoria era, when “mourning jewelry” (also known as “hairwork”) that featured the hair of the deceased became fashionable.