Lonely Planet's Guide to Death, Grief and Rebirth

"An eye-opening tour of the varied ways cultures grapple with what lies beyond" - Publisher's Weekly

This illuminating book reveals how cultures and communities around the world grieve their loved ones - with lessons we can all learn from to help us all live (and die) well. Divided into four key chapters: Celebrating, Commemorating, Mourning, and Offering, readers will discover resting places, burials, rituals, and symbols that have been associated with death throughout time.

Inside you'll find over 35 incredible customs from cultures and communities across the planet that explore our beliefs and traditions surrounding death, grief, and rebirth. Special in-depth features examine elements of death in greater detail including festivals and celebrations, remarkable catacombs, symbols of death and rebirth, and the world's most impressive tombs. Insightful first-person accounts and essays from locals discuss their relationship and experiences with death, while vibrant illustrations and photography explain the customs and rituals in a gracious manner.

Themes and events include Jazz funerals in New Orleans, turning of the bones in Madagascar, burial beads in South Korea, fantasy coffins in Ghana, Lakota soul keepers, Islamic funeral customs, death wailing, the people paid to weep, Swedish death cleaning, green burials, and more. The ultimate self-purchase or gift for anyone looking to gain a fresh perspective into the ways we process death as a society and as individuals.