What does “healing” mean to you?
Healing is the restoration of a person’s health to ensure he has both physical and psychological wellbeing. Healing is also the process of recovery from a previous stressful incident such as bereavement or divorce. Healing is also a form of spiritual renewal that people go through to help them improve their understanding of various issues they are facing in their lives. Many people believe that spiritual healing gives them a pure soul and makes their lives more meaningful. They get involved in different positive activities that help them understand various natural and supernatural processes better.
There are diverse rituals surrounding the birth of a baby, both cultural and religious in nature. Describe three practices that occur cross-nationally and three practices that occur across religions to protect the new-born and mother.
In Nigeria, the naming of a child is an important rite is done on the seventh or eighth day after the baby has been born. Close relatives propose different names to the infant’s parents before they settle on one that appeals to them most. Aborigines in northeastern Australia perform naming rites on the day a baby is born. Special leaves are burnt by the baby’s mother and grandmother to purify the baby and cast away bad luck. The Inuit name a child after a dead older relative a few days after birth. It is influenced by a strong belief in reincarnation (Abbot, 2007 p. 72). If the baby has a birthmark similar to one the departed relative had, then the baby is automatically given the name of the deceased relative.
Catholics baptize a baby a few weeks after birth where a christening ceremony is conducted. The child is dressed in white clothes and godparents are chosen by the infant’s parents to help him or her becomes a responsible adult in the future. In Judaism, male infants are named on the eighth day after birth where a circumcision ceremony is conducted. Only male relatives are allowed in the ceremony and prayers are done for the baby wishing him good health and a happy future. Hindus, name an infant ten days after birth in a temple (Abbot, 2007, p. 78). Lucky initials are chosen and the baby is named from those initials after forty days and prayers are made to wish the baby good health and long life.
There are diverse cultural and religious rituals for dying, death, and mourning. Describe three practices that occur cross-nationally and three practices that occur across religions to deal with dying, death, and/or mourning.
In Ghana, the dead are buried in uniquely shaped coffins which symbolize specific activities they were engaged in during their lifetimes. For instance, if a person was a taxi driver, he is likely to be buried in a coffin that resembles a car to make him happy in the afterlife. Indian tribes living near the Andes Mountains in Peru pick cocoa leaves which are used to chase away evil spirits during a person’s funeral. In Ireland, close family members weep over the body of their loved one soon after his death. Eulogies are chanted by professional mourners accompanied by loud wailing by relatives of the deceased (Davies, 2002, p. 54).
In Islamic societies, a deceased person has to be buried on the day of his passing before noon. If he dies in the evening, he is buried the next morning. The body is taken to the mosque for prayers and afterward the deceased is buried with his head facing Mecca. Hindus cremate the body of a dead person within 24 hours. A close relative lights the fire in the pyre and as the body burns, various items are thrown into the fire until it turns into ashes. After three to four days, the ashes are collected and disposed into a river (Davies, 2002, p. 57). Buddhists believe in the concept of reincarnation and this influences their approach to death. Bodies are cremated with different valuable items that the deceased are likely to use in their next lives.
References
Abbot, Z. (2007). This sacred life, transforming our world through birth. London, UK: Lulu Publishers.
Davies, D. (2002). Death, ritual and belief: The rhetoric of funerary rites. London, UK: Continuum.