Villagers dig up dead relatives for make overs

September 9, 2016 10:35 PM

News reports have revealed the strange practices which make up the 'Ceremony of Cleaning Corpses' also known as Ma’nene ritual.

Villagers give dead relatives make overs

The weird culture of the residents of a village known as Toraja in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, where they unearth dead relatives and give them make overs, has left many shocked.

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The villagers indulge in the bizarre practice every three years in the ceremony called the 'Ceremony of Cleaning Corpses' also known as Ma’nene ritual.

As part of the ceremony, down to the skeletons of dead children are cleaned and redressed, damaged coffins are fixed or if need be, replaced while the mummies are walked around the area, following a path of straight lines during the ritual.

A native, Herman Tandi, 32, is reported to have dug up the skeletons of his grandparents, Jesaya Tandibua and Yakolina Namanda, giving them a makeover by brushing their hair and wearing them wedding outfits.

Meanwhile, another family in a different part of the village dug up the skeleton of their relative who was an army veteran and has been buried for about ten years, then dressed him in fresh army uniform for the ceremony before taking 'family' pictures with him.

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The villagers who have an ancient belief that the spirit of a person must return to their place of origin, think that the more frequent their visits to the burial ground, the better.

See photos from the ceremony above.