The fascinating story of the hanging coffins of Sagada
Find out how and why caskets are dangling off the side of a cliff in the Philippines
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When we think of a graveyard, most people tend to imagine a piece of land where the coffins aren't actually visible above ground. What certainly doesn't come to mind is a vertical cemetery of coffins nailed to the side of a steep cliff, way up where everyone can see.
Different cultures have different relationships to death as well as various rituals that hold unique spiritual meanings, but one of the most fascinating is the Igorot peoples' hanging-coffin 'burial' in Sagada, Philippines. From the "death chair" that precedes it to the way the coffins are made and suspended up high, it's an endlessly interesting end-of-life rite.
Curious? Click through to learn more.
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