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My Culture Research Paper

Decent Essays

My culture is known to the Igbos. We originated from the southern part of Nigeria. For this assignment, I selected the India culture. I chose this culture because both cultures have one thing in common. That is only a male family member such as brother; father, son, and husband can do the last rites. When woman losses are husband, neighbors are immediately aware by the loud cries and screaming coming from the house. Immediately after people are aware of the news, people start visiting the house all day with food for the family. Friends and well-wishers will continue to visit the family even after the funeral with food and other means of support. The widow will be surrounded by women whose job is to provide the inconsolable wife with encouraging words and moral support. It is customary for a widow to cry out loud, if she doesn’t, people might get the impression that she is not affected by the death of her spouse. They might start accusing her of been responsible for his death.

The family of the deceased have one week to get past the initial shock of the news before taking necessary actions. Then a wake is held for the deceased, …show more content…

They had a lot of rituals they had to follow which was very unpleasant. Women had to shave their head and were made to spend a night in the same room with the corps. The body of the dead will be washed and the water will be given to the widowed wife to drink. She will have to take an oath claiming that she has no hand in the death of her husband before drinking the water. The widow has to regularly wear black or white attire 11 months after the burial. For 11months, she most stays in the house and privately mourns her husband. While she’s not allowed to live the house, visitors are allowed to visit her. Currently, this is only practiced by very few people who still hang on to their uncivilized

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