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While walking about we met a man who invited us to attend his uncle's "death party." How can anyone refuse an invitation to a death party? We hitched a ride with him to a small village and a bizarre scene: an open tomb with enshrouded bodies lying outside. | |||
Periodically
(every 3 years or so), a family exhumes the bones of relatives and hosts a party
to celebrate the memory of the deceased. People commune with the bodies, sometimes
even carrying them for a dance. | |||
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At first we felt out of
place, yet everyone smiled and invited us to take part in the festivities. A trumpet
and clarinet band played loud, rhythmic music, people danced, sang, drank and
ate. Vendors surrounded the tomb with their food stalls and created an open dance
hall. The entire village attended the death party. | |||
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