Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (FUNERAL): Recent Episodes
Cambridge University
Kalmyk funerary rites have the following functions: (1) to mark someone’s death, (2) to help the deceased depart from the world of the living and obtain a good reincarnation, (3) to cleanse the family members of the departed from symbolic impurity and return their lives to normality, and (4) to restore the border between the world of the living and that of the dead which was destabilized at someone’s death. When someone dies, the relatives of the deceased go to a Buddhist monk or astrologist to consult with him about who should touch the corpse first and how, when and where to bury. Only after that can the deceased be dressed in new clothes, or sometimes left in the ones they died in, but with buttons undone and belt unfastened. A candle or light is put by the head of the deceased for 49 days to illuminate the dead person’s perilous journey into the hereafter.
Until burial, which usually occurs within three days following one’s death, Buddhist prayers are read on a round-the-clock basis and at mealtimes the deceased’s soul is ‘fed’ by family members by frying flour in a dry pan. Prior to taking the corpse out to a burial place, the ritual of dailgn is performed. A plate with butter, milk and crumbled biscuits (pieces of cooked meat are also permitted) is rotated three times clockwise over the head of the deceased by a male relative asking the departed to pass on their blessing to the living relatives. Younger members of the family also touch the leg of the deceased in a ritual request to grant them forgiveness and blessing. The grave has to be dug on the day of burial to prevent it from being occupied by evil or uninvited entities. To purify the ground, a sheet of paper containing salt and incenses is burnt inside the hole. Traditionally, women were banned from participating in funerals. After the funeral, all participants cleanse their hands with water diluted with milk, smoke themselves with fire and incenses, and rub their hands with butter.
The funeral is followed by a period of mourning characterized by the continuation of a state of symbolic impurity for the bereaved. It is not only the deceased that is in transitional state (that is, in transit to the world of the dead) but their living relatives are too. Since during this period the two worlds are believed to be still linked, it is important for the mourning relatives to strictly follow traditional taboos and bans to prevent misfortunes, the escalation of pollution, and to successfully detach the deceased from the world of the living. For example, during this time it is forbidden to show excessive emotional attachment to the departed (by calling their name, crying, etc.), to take personal belongings of the deceased out of their house (in order to keep symbolic pollution localized), to take out rubbish (especially in the period between death and burial and for three consecutive days following the end of the mourning period) and to leave mirrors or objects with reflective surface uncovered (so that the soul of the deceased does not get stuck in a mirror).
The end of a transitional period, or mourning, is marked by a memorial service, usually held 49 days following burial, although the date may change depending on the age of the departed. If it is a child, the ceremony is usually held twice, on the 7th and 49th days after burial. In the case of old people, the ceremony may be performed on the 21st day. The memorial service consists of the ritual of gal tyalgn (sacrifice on fire) followed by lunch at which all relatives and friends of the departed come together. As a multi-functional clan ritual aimed at appeasing ancestors, consolidating kinship groups, and securing reproduction among their members, gal tyalgn is performed not only at funerals but also during other transitional periods, including following the birth of a baby (i.e. addition of a new member to the clan), and during weddings. The sacrificial animal is usually the sheep – a magical being whose wool, skin, and bones are believed to possess cleansing and fertility-inducing powers.
Lyalya says that before lowering the coffin into a hole in the ground, people walk around the grave clock-wise. In the past, Kalmyks did not bury but left their dead on the steppe, wrapped in a white cloth. Women did not participate in funerals.
Narma says that in the past corpses were wrapped in a piece of white cloth and left on the steppe. There were no cemeteries. ‘Funerals’ were determined by monks. A funerary procession consisted of about 5 men. Women were not allowed to participate.
Before a funeral relatives of the deceased go to the temple to consult with monks about who can first touch the corpse, what color should the cloth be in which to wrap the corpse, when to take it out of the house etc. In the house the relatives perform a ritual called ‘dalga’ during which they mix sweets with butter inside a cup and hold it over the deceased. Afterwards, all people who are present at the funeral take a small piece from the mix and eat it. This is done so that the deceased leaves his/her happiness and fortune for the living.
Kalmyks practiced three kinds of burial. (1) It is called ‘lifting the bones’. The corpse was wrapped in a white felt cloth and left on an elevated place, a hill or mountain. It was a good sign if the corpse was quickly eaten by wild animals or birds. (2) Noblemen and high lamas were cremated. Sometimes the place of cremation was marked by a stupa, which in itself turned into an object of worship. (3) The corpse was wrapped in white felt and buried underground. People should not cry or grieve excessively after the deceased, because humans reincarnate and change bodies, but never cease to exist, as it were. Excessive noise during a mourning may cause the soul of the deceased to go astray and suffer as a consequence. At the funeral a monk reads prayers and gives instructions as to when to bury, and who can and cannot touch the deceased.
Dordzhi says the following: I heard this from one old woman. When people were cremating Kyogshin Zeerd bagshi, three pigeons flew out of the fire. There was even a photo showing the event. But I do not know for sure whether this photo has survived or not.
Nikolai says that in the past there were no cemeteries in the Kalmyk land. The dead were wrapped in a piece of felt and left on a mound. It was considered a good sign if the dead was quickly eaten up by wild animal and birds. After death, a person is reborn within 49 days. Pure people are reborn within a week of their death, whereas those who sinned struggle to attain a rebirth, which may last up to 49 days. Women did not go to funerals. Candles are lit for 49 days so that the soul could find the right path.
Alexandr talks about a funerary custom: Before a funeral we do the following. We look for a person who was born in the same year as the deceased. That person is asked to pull the deceased by his\her leg while uttering: ‘Get up’. Since there were no trees on the steppe, traditionally Kalmyks were buried not in coffins but wrapped in a piece of cloth only.
Zoya says that at funerals it is forbidden to cry, scream or behave in an overly emotional way. Everything should be done in a calm manner. Women should not sit near the body of the deceased nor go to the cemetery. All rites are performed by men. Women only cook food.
Olga reminisces about how in her childhood monks performed this ritual on her deceased father. During the ritual the monks clapped their hands, uttering: ‘Do you hear this?’ Following the death of a person, it is forbidden to take out anything, including rubbish, from the house of the deceased for 49 days. There are other rites performed on the dead that people today have already forgotten.
Elza says that Kalmyk funerals in the past were different. For example, women did not go to burial places, nor did children. It was only men who were allowed to. Seven days after the burial, people gathered, but Elza does not remember whether women were allowed to come. The dead were also wrapped in blankets, for cloth was rare and in short supply. Today, by contrast, both women and children do participate in funerals.
Tachal refers to a state when the deceased misses his/her living relatives and develops attachment.
Dzhidzha talks about funerary rituals, her mother’s funeral and her dreams. This is her story: It is believed that after death, a person’s soul ends up in a pure world where there are no lies. By contrast, this world is full of deception and people constantly cheat each other. In the past, Kalmyk funerary ritual was as follows. Kalmyks went to a lama to ask about the exact date and time of the removal of the deceased from the house for burial and the direction in which to put his/her head. There were three possible directions, including east, south or west. My mother told me that Kalmyks buried their dead wrapped in cloth. Whilst ordinary people were wrapped in any cloth, lamas and knowledgeable people were wrapped in a white cloth and buried in a sitting position. Only men were allowed to go to a burial place. By contrast, today anyone can go to a cemetery, since we have forgotten our customs. My mother told me that, ‘On the 49th day after death you do a memorial service. After that you should not even look in the direction of the cemetery. It is a sin for you (a girl) to go to a cemetery. If one goes there often, the deceased may think that that person wishes to give something’. Only during Tsagan Sar can people offer food, including vodka and a piece of meat, to their deceased relatives. I listened to my mother’s advice. 10 years after her death, I went to a lama named Rinchen Dagva. I told him, ‘I have brought some food for my late mother, but I did not go to her grave as she had told me not to.’ He looked at his texts, thought for a while and said, ‘She was right. Do not go to her cemetery’. Since then I stopped seeing my mother in my dreams. The last dream about her was as follows. I saw my mother and two younger sisters, who died in Siberia. I followed three of them into a big house. After, they disappeared under a big canopy. All of a sudden, a fair-faced girl came out. I asked her, ‘Where did those three go?’, to which she replied, ‘You go through this gate. Inside there is another gate’. I stood thinking what to do. I felt unwell and woke up. I think my late sisters must have taken my mother with them to Siberia. My mother and I buried them there in the summer.
Alexandra says the following: If you cross a road with a funeral procession, you will have a tumor. In order to get rid of the tumor, take a sheep’s skull and prick the tumor with its teeth. The tumor will disappear.
Telo Tulku: Nowadays we adopted the Russian Orthodox way of doing funerals. In many Buddhist countries, they do not bury the dead but cremate. That is a standard procedure or practice. But in Kalmykia we have adopted this tradition to bury from the Russians. We are slowly introducing cremation, but it will take a while to introduce this concept and for people to understand why we do so. So far, we have done several cremations. But we do not necessarily encourage or implement this tradition among the public. We do tell people that this is possible and that it is a Buddhist way of doing funerals, but psychologically people are not ready to adopt this.
When a person dies it is required that a special ritual of remembrance be performed once a year. Fat, butter or margarine is thrown into fire. It is believed that the smell of these substances remains inside the nose of the deceased making them satisfied. Badma’s grandmother died on the eve of Tsagan Sar in February. To remember her, on this day Badma always makes tea and cooks potatoes, and invites people to her house. She also performs this ritual for her mother and husband as well. Badma does not perform it for her father, as she does not know where and when he died.