“Burial Practices” (Costumbre sa Paglubong)

Costumbre sa Paglubong
@bababisaya, Burial Practices (Costumbre sa Paglubong) by Jeky Alano (Paintings from Negros Museum, Bacolod, Negros Occidental, on the island of Buglas)

“Burial Practices” (Costumbre sa Paglubong) by Jeky Alano

The early Negrenses practiced two kinds of burial – the primary and secondary rituals. The Primary type of burial: The Baybaylan pray over the person’s body, then covers the eyes, nose, and mouth with a burial mask. It is believed that this way, the dead person will be protected from evil spirits; otherwise, the spirits will enter the body. During the burial, some of the dead person’s things are buried inside a cave. For the second type of burial, the bones are taken out of the cave after 4 to 5 years and put inside burial jars, and given back to the family or relatives.

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