Food, the Afterlife, and Death Practices

An interesting topic we ran into in the “Shulhan Shel Arba: The Fourth Gate” a Jewish text by Rabbenu Bahya ben Asher, is the idea of the afterlife. Taking the class, Perspectives on Death and Dying, maybe has made me more aware of this theme in world religions, but nevertheless I find it to be fascinating. So many different religions believe in an afterlife, and a common thing to see within an afterlife is the common idea still indulging in food. In “Shulhan Shel Arba: The Fourth Gate” we discussed how the body in the afterlife becomes limitless, so that one can eat without boundaries and growth. You can indulge in two feasts, one for the body, and the one for the soul and the mind. You will eat manna, which is described as being, “like wafers in honey”, Behemoth, bird, and fish. This is all while being served to you by Moses, who is probably the most important and celebrated prophets in Judaism. As we see from holidays such as Purim and hamantaschen and Shabbat and it’s focus on the three festive meals that are eaten, especially with the great emphasis that is placed on the blessings of the challah, just how important and sacred food can be.

In other religions we see similarities to Judaism’s focus on food in and out of the afterlife. Christianity places a great value on wine as a representation of the blood of Jesus and the bread as the body of the Christ, the Catholic term for this is Transubstantiation. Christians ingest these foods during communion to show participation in the body of Jesus in remembrance of his struggles and sacrifices for them. In Christian holidays such as Easter and Christmas festive feast are common practices, but no foods are specifically representative of religious elements. In the afterlife for Christianity in Revelation 19:9 an angel speaks of a wedding supper and in Mark 26:29 (NLT)  “Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.” This implies Jesus will wait to drink until he is reunited with one in heaven and there is an implied flow of abundance of good food and wine in heaven.

In Buddhism, which is not a religion, but a way of life, food plays a role in the death process as well. Sometimes when a person dies it is common practice for their loved ones to create fake riches, out of paper mache or other materials, and set them up at the funeral. Commonly these riches include an abundances of food. Buddhists practice the belief that there is karma and reincarnation therefore by making these fake riches to present to the dead at the funeral, they will take them with them to their next life, which is commonly referred to as nirvana. This is also seen in Hinduism, burning the body is a common practice, along with the body, food is also burned along with their belongings. Hindus commonly burn the body through cremation in a Homa fire ritual, cremation on the Ganges River, or in less native areas in a crematorium. The coffins are filled up with money, sacred mementos, and especially foods. This is so that the person will have food and nourishment in their next life, because the soul is immortal.

Food and death seem to be bonded with religion as well. It is common practice in many religions alike, when someone dies, many mourners and sympathizers bring the family and friends food to show support. Many death services almost revolve around food! Eating food and remembering a loved one seem to go hand and hand. This could be one reason why many religions feast after burials and funerals. In Islam, Muslims will sometimes sacrifice a sheep and then have a feast. Bitter coffee is the traditional Islamic drink of the mourning for them as well. Hindus also after the cremation of the body, upon returning home are required to bathe, and then after that to gather for a large traditional family meal. Jamaican folk religions partake in this food with mourning activity as well, notably in the practice of nine nights, which includes nine nights of extravagant partying and eating traditional meals and drinking traditional alcohols. Now these are not exclusively the only religions that observe this type of practice, and people who do not have any religion engage in this behavior as well. But after digesting (no pun intended) all of this information, it is clear how close our ties with food is and how badly we never want to give it up.