Editing Ritual (section)

===Death, mourning, and funerary rites===
{{further|Funeral}}
{{expand section|date=March 2022|small=yes}}
Many cultures have rites associated with death and mourning, such as the [[last rites]] and [[Wake (ceremony)|wake]] in Christianity, ''[[shemira]]'' in Judaism, the ''[[antyesti]]'' in Hinduism, and the ''[[antam sanskar]]'' in Sikhism. These rituals often reflect deep spiritual beliefs and provide a structured way for communities to grieve and honor the deceased. In Tibetan Buddhism, for example, the rituals described in the Bardo Thodol guide the soul through the stages of death, aiming for spiritual liberation or enlightenment.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fremantle|first1=Francesca|last2=Trungpa|first2=Chogyam|date=1975 |title=The Tibetan book of the dead, the great liberation through the hearing in the Bardo |location=Boston|publisher= Shambala south asia editions |page= forward|isbn=1-56957-126-0}}</ref>  In Islam, the [[Islamic funeral|Janazah]] prayer is an essential communal act that underscores the unity of the Muslim community in life and death. Indigenous cultures may have unique practices, such as the Australian Aboriginal smoking ceremony, intended to cleanse the spirit of the departed and ensure a safe journey to the [[afterlife]].

In many traditions can be found the belief that when man was first made the creator bestowed soul upon him, while the earth provided the body. In Genesis is offered the following description of the creation of man: "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul".<ref>{{bibleverse|Genesis|2:7|niv}}</ref> As a result at the moment of death each of the two elements needs to be returned to its source, the body returns to earth, while the soul to the heavenly creator, by means of the funerary ritual.<ref>{{cite book |last=Eliade |first=Mircea |date=1976 |title=Occultism, witchcraft and cultural fashions, Essays in comparative religions |location=chicago |publisher= The university of Chicago press |page= 35-36|isbn=0-226-20391-3}}</ref> 

[[File:Codex Magliabechiano (141 cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Human sacrifice in Aztec culture|Aztec ritual human sacrifices]], [[Codex Mendoza]]]]