In our mountain villages, a morning can rarely pass without the ‘village microphone’ announcing loudly the news about a death and a funeral in the. My grandfather always asks us to be silent while the announcement is done. He listens carefully then he walks to his room to write down the date and the name of the departed then he gets himself ready to go to the funeral regardless whether he personally knows the departed or not. If not, he would for sure know many of his relative… Death in these villages is a daily news.
Birth is so much the same, but may be less ceremonious. Whenever a women gives birth in the village many acquaintances come to visit, but mainly only women. In the village’s traditional society birth is women’s business, while death is that of men.
My first remembered encounter with death was when my paternal grandfather passed away. I was still 5 years old. read more…
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