The Filipino tribe that hangs their dead from the rocks! (Philippine hanging coffins)

A strange village with coffins and hanging corpses

The Philippine hanging coffins belong to the dead bodies of one of the Filipino tribes who hung their coffins from the rocks for many years instead of burying the dead in order to be one step closer to heaven.

Hanging coffins Or Hanging coffins of the Philippines (in English: Hanging coffins) or hanging cemetery (in English: hanging cemetery), is a place where dead bodies are placed in coffins and hung on rocks.

The hanging coffins of the Philippines are a thought-provoking place for black tourism. Only people who are interested in seeing scary places in the world or black tourism go to visit these hanging coffins in the Philippines.

 

In most cases, you have to visit the hanging coffins alone, and if you are lucky, you can hire a local guide.

 

This place is considered one of the most mysterious tourist attractions in the Philippines, which shows you different opinions about death.

 

 

The custom of hanging the dead in the Philippines

 

The custom of hanging the dead on top of the cliff dates back to 2000 years ago in the tribes of the Philippines. The ancestors of the people of the Philippines used to carry the coffins of their loved ones to the top of the rocks with great difficulty and installed their coffins on the rocks with nails.

 

These coffins were made from hollow trees to weigh less.

Some interesting details about the custom of hanging the coffin in the Philippines, which is observed in most cases, are:

The deceased was dressed in good and beautiful clothes so that he would have a well-groomed appearance in the next world.

Some believed that if blood comes out of the dead body while wrapping the blanket, it is auspicious.

 

The coffins should not have been moved, but over the years, due to the growth of some trees and damage to the coffins, they have been forced to move the bodies.

 

The reason for hanging the coffins on the sky is so that the body is one step closer to heaven and can watch its family from afar.

 

There are more than 100 floating coffins in the Philippines.

 

In the years 2006-2008, the number of rock coffins in the Philippines has increased.

 

 

History of hanging coffins

 

This custom is seen in China, Indonesia and the Philippines, although in China they are known as hanging coffins. In the Philippines, there is a city called Sagada, which has become famous for its hanging coffins and has attracted the attention of tourists.

 

A tribe called igorot (meaning mountain people in the local language) or Cordillerans who mostly live in the mountainous region of Luzon in Sagada.

 

The people of this tribe hold a high place for spirits and even elevate them to the status of gods. They believe that by hanging the coffin of their dead on the top of the mountain, the soul of their loved ones will leave their body with a blessed farewell, and on the other hand, the dead body will be safe from the harm of animals and vermin.

 

The task of hanging the coffin should be done by the eldest member of the clan or family of the deceased so that his soul would have more security and peace. If the elder of the tribe is not able to do such a task, this duty is assigned to the eldest son of the deceased. The custom of hanging coffins has disappeared today, and even the surviving Igorots do not hang their bodies on the rock today.

 

If you pay attention, the length of the coffins is about one meter, because the Igorots believed that every person should die as he was born, and for this reason, before placing the body in the coffin, they gathered the body in the form of a fetus.