Celebration of Death and Life

The other day I was looking for inspiration for a topic for my next post when I came across a beautiful photo in the Atlantic 2012: The Year in Photos. (I really have no idea how I managed to happen across these pictures; the mysteries of the internet...). While there are many beautiful and emotional pictures, one in particular caught my eye.

In the description it talked about a practice I had never heard of before: the Quarup (or Kuarup). The Quarup is a giant festival that is head annually in July or August to celebrate and honour the dead. It is practiced by indigenous groups of the Xingu in the Amazon rainforest, and every year the festival brings together many of the different tribes.

The festival is a joyous occasion that involves music, dance, games and food, in addition to traditional rituals. This celebration also includes the celebration of life, and young women who have reached an age eligible for marriage are painted and dressed to be presented to find their future partner.

The dead here are celebrated in the context of the living, not mourned. The tribes of the Xingu honour their dead with joy and future fertility. Unfortunately, in a quick Google search I wasn't able to find very much on this celebration, but hopefully I will get a chance to research it further.

http://www.amazon-rainforest.org/indigenous-tribes.html