Toraja Funeral Site

Torajan funeral rites are major social events, usually attended by hundreds of people and last for several days. During a traditional funeral for a person of noble descent, multiple buffalos and pigs are slaughtered in a ritualistic fashion. The more powerful the person who died, the more buffalos are slaughtered at their funeral. Sometimes the preparation of such a funeral can take years (to collect the money needed to buy the buffalos), during which time the embalmed body of the deceased remains in the home of a close family member.