2007-09-04, Indonesia Funerary Finery 印度尼西亚的豪华葬礼

In the isolated¹ Torajan valley, this is the season for death. Most funerals come after the rice harvest in late summer, early fall. For Torajans, funerals are their most important ceremony. After a person dies, months go by before the actual funeral. The extended family and villagers from around the valley come to show their respect. For an upper class family, hundreds pour in from the countryside. Each village brings gifts presented in long processions. Family members lead guests to the greeting tent. Chanting shows love for the dead. The Mabadong dance is a ritual bidding farewell to the deceased and can last for hours.

The traditional Torajan house is built by hand, and it's the center of both family rite² and the funeral rite. The culture blends Christianity with traditional beliefs. It's only when the first buffalo³ is sacrificed that the person is considered dead. The buffalo's soul carries the deceased to heaven, or Puya , a long journey past the southern horizon. All animals killed at the funeral accompany the dead to the hereafter. The departing soul needs them. The number of buffalos sacrificed also determines the family inheritance. The more people give to the ceremony, the more they inherit.

The body of the deceased is taken from their home to the village of their birth by motorcade. At the end of the road, the coffin⁴ is carried to the village.Before the burial comes a feast and more animal sacrifices, there is a brief dance with the coffin to postpone⁵ the burial. Then the coffin, all 300 hand-carved pounds of it, is hauled into the rainforest, followed by the guests and sealed in a remote cave. With the ceremony over, Torajans return to their quiet routine of rice farming in a land where heaven is like earth and the dead confer good crops to the living.

1 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

2 rite   

n.典礼，惯例，习俗

参考例句：

• This festival descends from a religious rite.这个节日起源于宗教仪式。
• Most traditional societies have transition rites at puberty.大多数传统社会都为青春期的孩子举行成人礼。

3 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

4 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

5 postpone   

v.延期，推迟

参考例句：

• I shall postpone making a decision till I learn full particulars.在未获悉详情之前我得从缓作出决定。
• She decided to postpone the converastion for that evening.她决定当天晚上把谈话搁一搁。