15 Strange Funeral Customs From Around the World

Dancing with the dead

In some ethnic groups in Madagascar, even death isn’t a valid excuse to miss the family reunion. Millions of Malagasy engage in a ritual called famadihana, meaning “the turning of the bones,” in which the corpses of dead ancestors are removed from their crypts, dressed up in new shrouds, and brought to share a celebration with their living relatives, which includes feasting, dancing, catching up on family gossp, and, in some cases, attending Mass, before returning to the tomb.