- Ex-Dutch football star Johan Neeskens dies
- Man Utd battling to improve fortunes, says Evans
- What is microRNA? Nobel-winning discovery explained
- Masood, Abdullah centuries lift Pakistan to 328-4 in first England Test
- Hurricane Milton strengthens fast, threatens Mexico, Florida
- Tunisia's President Saied set for landslide election win
- Barca hoping to return to Camp Nou 'by end of year'
- Trump to open second golf course at Scotland resort in summer 2025
- Super-sub Jhon Duran rewarded with new Aston Villa deal
- US duo win Nobel for gene regulation breakthrough
- Masood hits first ton for four years to power Pakistan to 233-1
- Fritz wins delayed match to reach Shanghai Masters third round
- Naomi Osaka pulls out of Japan Open with back injury
- Weather may delay launch of mission to study deflected asteroid
- China to flesh out economic stimulus plans after bumper rally
- Artist Marina Abramovic hopes first China show offers tech respite
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on US jobs data
- Pakistan 122-1 at lunch in first England Test
- Kazakhs approve plan for first nuclear power plant
- World marks anniversary of Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- 'Second family': tennis stars hunt winning formula with new coaches
- Philippines, South Korea agree to deepen maritime cooperation
- Mexico mayor murdered days after taking office
- Sardinia's sheep farmers battle bluetongue as climate warms
- Japan govt admits doctoring 'untidy' cabinet photo
- Israel marks first anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack
- Darvish tames Ohtani as Padres thrash Dodgers
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on jobs data
- Family affair as LeBron, Bronny James make Lakers bow
- Cancer, cardiovascular drugs tipped for Nobel as prize week opens
- As Great Salt Lake dries, Utah Republicans pardon Trump climate skepticism
- Amazon activist warns of 'critical situation' ahead of UN forum
- Mourners pay tribute to latest victims of deadly Channel crossing
- Tunisia incumbent Saied set to win presidential vote: exit polls
- Phillies win thriller to level Mets series
- Yu bags first PGA Tour win with playoff win
- PSG held by Nice to leave Monaco clear at top of Ligue 1
- AC Milan fall at Fiorentina after De Gea's penalty heroics
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- Lewandowski hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- India maintain Pakistan stranglehold as Windies cruise at Women's T20 World Cup
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
CMSC | -0.02% | 24.695 | $ | |
RBGPF | -1.16% | 60.1 | $ | |
RYCEF | -1.16% | 6.9 | $ | |
RELX | -0.83% | 45.91 | $ | |
VOD | 0% | 9.66 | $ | |
SCS | -1.41% | 12.79 | $ | |
GSK | 0.6% | 39.055 | $ | |
NGG | -0.88% | 65.92 | $ | |
BTI | -0.18% | 35.225 | $ | |
RIO | -0.19% | 69.57 | $ | |
AZN | -0.12% | 77.375 | $ | |
CMSD | -0.13% | 24.78 | $ | |
BCC | -1.29% | 137.125 | $ | |
BCE | -0.14% | 33.662 | $ | |
JRI | -0.16% | 13.259 | $ | |
BP | 0.78% | 33.14 | $ |
Dressing the dead: Indonesian villagers clean corpses in afterlife ritual
A family on an Indonesian island poses for a photo with an elderly relative no longer able to smile, while another clan tries to dress one of their eldest forebears in khakis and a shirt.
But the eldest generation isn't stuck in a retirement home or harbouring a grudge against their younger kin -- they are dead.
In two small towns on Indonesia's Sulawesi island, residents are celebrating a days-long ceremony called the Manene.
Hundreds of corpses are pulled out and dressed in the village of Torea as part of the ritual to honour their spirits and provide offerings.
"When we do Manene, we would start by opening the grave chamber and cleaning it and its surrounding area," one of the family members, Sulle Tosae, told AFP.
"Then, we would dry the bodies under the sun before [we] change their clothes," he said.
Coffins holding the preserved bodies of their loved ones are pulled from a burial cave carved into the mountainside.
"The offerings are a symbol of gratitude from the children and grandchildren to the departed ones," Torea village head Rahman Badus told AFP.
They honour their spirits "so they can always bless the living with safety, peace and happiness," he said.
One family offered their freshly exhumed relative a cigarette, while another affixed a pair of stylish sunglasses.
A few of the bodies remain relatively intact from the mummification process while others have deteriorated to skeleton remains.
- Spirits of the dead -
Torajans are an ethnic group that numbers about a million people on Sulawesi island.
They have few qualms when it comes to talking with an embalmed corpse, dressing them up, brushing their hair or even taking pictures with a mummified relative.
Depending on the village, the Manene is usually held every few years in July or August.
The Torajans believe spirits of the dead will linger in the world before their funeral ceremonies and will begin their journey to the land of spirits after their souls are immortalised.
The families will preserve the body until they have saved enough money for an elaborate funeral.
The deceased were previously mummified through an embalming process using natural remedies such as sour vinegar and tea leaves.
But many families now take the shortcut of injecting a formaldehyde solution into the corpse.
The disinterring is a shocking and gruesome scene for onlooking Western tourists, yet residents are more than happy to clean out the bodies, take pictures and pray for their souls.
But the village chief says some locals have gone too far.
"The bodies must be treated with the utmost respect in the Manene ritual," Badus said.
"Relatives are paying respect to their parents or ancestors and disrespect has consequences."
L.Davis--AMWN