Families Turn to Symbolic Cremation After Nepal Floods

Nepal has experienced severe floods, and thousands of people are still unaccounted for. After a long search, many families are starting to lose hope of recovering the bodies of their loved ones. This makes it very difficult for them to complete traditional funeral rites.

In this challenging situation, families are turning to symbolic cremations. For a son, it is a very important and sacred duty to perform the last rites for his father. If the father's body cannot be found, a son cannot perform a traditional cremation. This symbolic act allows them to honor their deceased family members and find some closure.

To perform this ceremony, a son creates a straw effigy. This straw figure represents the lost person, such as his father. He then lights a funeral pyre for this straw figure, just as he would for a real body. This helps the families to grieve and uphold their spiritual traditions, even when the physical remains are absent.