Asian Death Practices

A chain of islands along the eastern coast of Asia, Japan is one of the most densely populated countries on earth, with a population of about 126 million people living in an area slightly smaller than the state of California. 

A country steeped in tradition, Japan boasts a remarkably homogeneous culture. Shared values, such as respect for authority, reverence for ancestors, and an extremely strong work ethic, are taught from an early age and strictly enforced through social norms.The majority of the country’s inhabitants are religious, and practice either Shinto or Buddhism or, in many cases, a combination of the two. Festivals that celebrate long-dead ancestors, such as the Buddhist Bon Festival, are common in both religions, and death rituals and funerals typically blend practices from both.

Below you will find a few examples of Japanese death practices from ancient to modern times.

In Japan and Other Parts of East Asia, Living Funerals Are Gaining Popularity

Buddhist Traditions and Cremation Dominate Japan’s Approach to the End of Life

Unlike Much of  Western Society, Many in Japan View Suicide as a Noble Act  

The Number Four Sparks Mortal Terror in the Hearts of Many  Japanese

Like Many Cultures Around the World, the Japanese Engage in Rituals to Keep Evil Spirits at Bay

The Japanese Honor Dead Loved Ones With Gifts and  Ceremony Each Year

A sprawling country with a population of over 1.4 billion people, China is the world’s oldest living civilization, with a written history that goes back over 3,500 years. Although the Communist Party has had an enormous influence on the country since the inception of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, ancient beliefs and traditions are still deeply ingrained in many of China’s citizens. Family is highly valued, and multigenerational homes are the norm. The vast majority of the population are either atheist or irreligious, thanks in part to the influence of both the Communist Party and belief in Confucianism, an ancient humanistic philosophy that emphasizes respect for authority, family unity, and social harmony over theistic beliefs.

China is fairly ethnically homogenous, with over 90% of the population belonging to the Han ethnic group. However, there are also 56 ethnic minorities in the country, each with its own language, culture and spiritual beliefs. For the most part, practices around death and mourning are defined by the ethnicity of the person who died. 

Read more about Chinese beliefs and customs around death, mourning and remembrance below.

At a Typical Chinese Funeral, the Element of Fire Takes Center Stage

Borrowing from the Swiss, China’s Health Care System Has Brought in Clowns to Entertain the Sick

Newly discovered Carvings from the Ancient Jin Dynasty Hint at Belief in Life After Death 

The Ancient Bo People of Southern China Placed Coffins on Cliff Sides to Remember the Dead

An Ancient Ritual, China’s Tomb Sweeping Day Honors Long-Dead Ancestors

China’s First Emperor Built an Army of Clay Soldiers to Protect Him in the Afterlife 

Ancient Chinese Rituals Try to Keep Evil Spirits at Bay 

Well-Paid Professional Mourners Bring Ritual and Tears to Modern Chinese Funerals

In Taiwan, Scantily Clad Exotic Dancers Ensure a Big Send-Off for the Newly Departed

One of the oldest civilizations in Southeast Asia, the culture of Vietnam has been heavily influenced by years of colonization, first by the Chinese and later by the French. Scarred by 40 years of war during the mid-20th century, the once-divided country is now unified under a single regime, but many social woes, including an aging population, income inequality, and an unsafe food supply, remain. 

Vietnam is a diverse society, with over 55 ethnic minorities represented in its population of nearly 100 million, each with its own language, traditions and style of dress. Like neighboring China, it is an irreligious society, with only a small minority of its citizens professing a faith. Ancestor worship is common, as is a diluted form of Taoism — an atheistic belief system similar to Confucianism that teaches simplicity, spontaneity and harmony with the natural world. Like the Chinese, most Vietnamese adhere to a belief system that reveres the dead and places great significance on funeral rites and mourning rituals, which typically last for a full year. 

Read more about Vietnamese traditions around death and dying below. 

Food and Superstition Play an Equal Role in Vietnamese Mourning Rituals

After a Death, Vietnamese Families Work Together to Provide Everything Their Loved One Needs for the Afterlife

The Philippines is an island nation in Southeast Asia, with a diverse population of over 50 distinct ethnic groups who speak more than 140 different languages, although most of the population speaks English as well. About 85% of the population is  Catholic, thanks in large part to the Spanish settlers and missionaries who arrived in the country during the 16th century. 

Despite their ethnic and linguistic diversity, Filipinos share a consistent value system that emphasizes loyalty to family and community over individual needs. Social acceptance is extremely important to most Filipinos, and, as a people, they strive to maintain harmony in interpersonal relationships and within the social groups to which they belong. They are also deeply religious, and their traditions, including those around death and mourning, closely follow the teachings of the Catholic Church. With that being said, in some remote areas of the islands where indigenous natives live, ancient belief systems and burial rites still prevail. 

Learn more about Filipino beliefs about death and mourning below. 

In Some Parts of the Philippines, Ancient Burial Rites Are Still Practiced Today

A Mix of Superstition and Religion Creates Unique Burial Traditions in the Philippines

Tibet is an autonomous region within the People’s Republic of China, which has maintained control over the region since 1951. It is the highest region in the world, with an average elevation of 14,370 feet above sea level, and is home to the world’s tallest mountain, Mount Everest (29,032 feet.) Due to its elevation, much of the region has a formidable climate and little arable land. However, at lower elevations, temperatures are more moderate and many species of native plants abound.

Historically, Tibetans are a nomadic people who make their living herding sheep and yaks. Even today, few cities exist in the region, and most of its people live in small villages or, in the case of Tibetan nomads, temporary encampments on the high desert plains. The predominant religion is Tibetan Buddhism, which teaches the value of right action (karma) and reincarnation, and has a highly ritualized approach to dying and death. 

Read more about the death practices and customs of the Tibetan people below. 

Tibetan Buddhists Advocate a Spiritual Approach to Dying to Ensure a Positive Rebirth

Tibetan Buddhists Believe in the Concept of “Bardo,” the State Between Death and Rebirth

The Ancient Practice of Sky Burial Is an Act of Love in Tibet

A Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Called “Phowa’  Prepares the Mind for Death

The world’s largest island nation, Indonesia is centrally located amid ancient trade routes between the Far East, South Asia and the Middle East. Comprising over 17,500 islands divided roughly into 7 major island groups, the country is infinitely diverse and retains the influences of many different religions and cultures, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Christianity and Islam, as well as indigenous folklore and mythical beliefs. As of 2020, about 90% of the country identifies as Muslim, so most of the nation’s people follow Islamic traditions around death and dying. This is not true, however, on the island of Bali, where Hinduism is the dominant religion, or in some pockets of indigenous people who live in the country’s outer provinces, where ancient traditions still reign. 

Read more about the death practices of Indonesians below. 

On The Indonesian Island Of Borneo, Mourning Garments Have Been Crafted From Bark Cloth For Centuries

In the Indonesian Province of Tana Toraja, Loved Ones Stay With the Family Long After Death

The Hindus of Bali Practice Both Burial and Cremation of the Dead

Like neighboring China and Japan, the culture of South Korea is rooted in Confucianism, and, even as it has become a sizable force in the global economy, ancient practices and belief systems still influence the country’s norms. The importance of elders, harmonious relationships, and respect for nature are a large part of the nation’s ethos, and ancestors are celebrated both on the anniversary of their death and on important holidays, such as Sŏllal (the Lunar New Year) and Chusŏk (the harvest moon festival, or “Korean Thanksgiving”). Traditionally, burial was the preferred form of final disposition among South Koreans. However, lack of cemetery space has dictated a shift towards cremation in recent years. 

Read more about the death practices of South Koreans below. 

In South Korea, Thousands Of People Are Holding Mock Funerals Alive In Order To Confront Mortality Head On. 

Forced To Abandon Traditional Burial Due To Lack Of Space, South Koreans Are Turning Cremation Ashes Into Beads

An immense country with a population of nearly 1.4 billion, India is the birthplace of four major religions, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. Unlike many of its neighbors, it is a political democracy, but its culture still bears the remnants of the Hindu caste system, the oldest  and most deeply entrenched social stratification system in the world. Although discrimination on the basis of caste is currently illegal, it is still know to exist. 

With over 2,000 distinct ethnic groups, Indian culture is extraordinarily diverse. Hinduism remains the dominant religion, but all major religions are represented in its population to some extent. Open-air cremation is by far the most common form of final disposition, but for the nation’s large Muslim population, burial is preferred. 

Learn more about the death practices of the people of India below. 

In The City of Varanasi Along The Ganges, a Sacred Ritual Frees the Souls  of the Dead.

The Now Illegal Practice of Sati Condemned  Indian Widows to a Horrible Death 

In the Zoroastrian Tradition, Dead Bodies Are Left to Decompose on Symbolic Towers in the Desert Sun

In the Sikh Tradition, Ritual Chanting Accompanies the Soul on its Transition from Life to the Afterlife

India’s Holi Festival Celebrates the Death of Winter and the Promise of New Life

The former home of the ancient Persian Empire, Iran was once a major influence on many of the countries of Europe and Asia, including Italy, Greece, Russia, and the Arabian peninsula. Known for its art, literature,poetry and food, ancient Persia boasted a sophisticated culture. It was also the birthplace of Zoroastrianism, one of the oldest monotheistic religions in the world. After the Muslim conquest in 633–654 CE, however, Persia slowly evolved into an Islamic state.Today it is ruled by the Shia majority, which took control of the government in 1979 after overthrowing the Western-backed  Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and establishing a theocracy led by the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who remains the religious leader of the country to this day. Modern day Iran is overwhelmingly Muslim, and its death practices and rituals adhere closely to Muslim teachings and beliefs. 

Read more about the traditions and death practices of Iranians below. 

In Ancient Iran, The New Year Marked A Time To Celebrate And Comingle With The Souls Of The Dead

In Modern-Day Iran, Many Muslims Still Cling To Ancient Ways Of Caring For The Dead.

In Contemporary Iranian Culture, Rituals Around Death And Mourning Are Evolving To Reflect More Modern Norms

Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia bordered by China and Russia that is known for its vast, often barren landscape and rugged terrain. Approximately 30% of the population of the country are nomadic tribes people whose life revolves around raising livestock. The dominant religion is Tibetan Buddhism, but a large portion of the Mongolians are irreligious, due to the influence of the Chinese, who ruled the area until the country declared its independence in 1921. 

Mongolia’s Nomads Practice Ritual Excarnation, Leaving Their Dead On The Frozen Steppes For Scavengers To Remove.