By Euphoria Snaks.
When I was a little munchkin (a childhood nickname. Snaks? Munch? Get it?), I had an imaginary friend called Karen. My family convinced me it was ‘just one of those things that she’ll grow out of’, but since the very real people at GDM asked me to investigate the link between ghosts and haunting and food, I am beginning to have my doubts. Could Karen really have been a … real ghost?
Spiritualists and metaphysics teachers all over the world say absolutely, but from the look on my editor’s face when I first brought it up, I decided to concentrate on the link between food and spirits – and I don’t mean gin.
The first link is with the various cultures all over the world that observe practices of leaving food or drink either buried with, or at the graves of loved ones. The choices of how and what are diverse, and some are quite inexplicable.
The practice is very old. The ancient Greeks believed that food was essential for the deceased’s journey to the afterlife and buried with them enough food and drink to sustain them on their way. In turn, they ensured the gods would forgive their sins by the amount of food that friends and family consumed after the funeral. The more they ate, the better the chances were that the soul would have a good ‘crossing’ and the family left behind would not be haunted. How things haven’t changed today.
Spiritualists and metaphysics teachers all over the world say absolutely, but from the look on my editor’s face when I first brought it up, I decided to concentrate on the link between food and spirits – and I don’t mean gin.
The first link is with the various cultures all over the world that observe practices of leaving food or drink either buried with, or at the graves of loved ones. The choices of how and what are diverse, and some are quite inexplicable.
The practice is very old. The ancient Greeks believed that food was essential for the deceased’s journey to the afterlife and buried with them enough food and drink to sustain them on their way. In turn, they ensured the gods would forgive their sins by the amount of food that friends and family consumed after the funeral. The more they ate, the better the chances were that the soul would have a good ‘crossing’ and the family left behind would not be haunted. How things haven’t changed today.
Some societies continued to feed the deceased for years while others offered food on special holidays and anniversaries.
Buddhists honour their dead by feeding them. Even though they may not be able to physically eat the food, it's comforting to know that every incense burnt is an invitation to their spirits, so that they are able to spiritually enjoy and bless the food the living end up eating.
Buddhists believe that when a person’s body has died, their consciousness temporarily lingers on Earth before moving onto the afterlife. It’s the job of those left behind to ensure they move onto their next life [through reincarnation] peacefully and meditation or chanting is complemented by food offerings. They are foods made of grains, fruits and vegetables and must not be meat or fish.
Buddhists honour their dead by feeding them. Even though they may not be able to physically eat the food, it's comforting to know that every incense burnt is an invitation to their spirits, so that they are able to spiritually enjoy and bless the food the living end up eating.
Buddhists believe that when a person’s body has died, their consciousness temporarily lingers on Earth before moving onto the afterlife. It’s the job of those left behind to ensure they move onto their next life [through reincarnation] peacefully and meditation or chanting is complemented by food offerings. They are foods made of grains, fruits and vegetables and must not be meat or fish.
When it comes to the dead, many ancient cultures made sure they were well prepared for the journey. In ancient Egypt, for example, many tombs, from those of the lowest commoners to the pharaoh himself, included mummified animals or animal parts meant to feed the dead.
Meat, fish, and poultry, have all been found in Egyptian graves. A prized meat such as veal might be found in a high-status tomb; something cheaper like mutton might be found buried with an ordinary person.Amazing as Egyptian burials were, they were not the only ones who knew how to pamper the dead. In China, the tombs of the T’ang dynasty were incredibly rich with grave goods and murals. The T’ang preferred representational food items, so instead of a piece of pork or duck, the tombs included figurines of livestock.
Many cultures all over the world practice leaving food or drink at the grave of a loved one. Grieving families frequently leave items of significance to the deceased, such as memories that they hold dear, or comestibles that the deceased enjoyed deeply.
Sharing food with the dead is not just limited to one individual’s death. Throughout the world there are many places that have a special day of the year to honor all their ancestors. Mexico, Poland, and Japan all have festivals where special foods enjoyed by the deceased are served to show the mourners ongoing love and respect regardless of how long the ancestors have been departed.
So, what are all the rituals surrounding death and dinner?
Meat, fish, and poultry, have all been found in Egyptian graves. A prized meat such as veal might be found in a high-status tomb; something cheaper like mutton might be found buried with an ordinary person.Amazing as Egyptian burials were, they were not the only ones who knew how to pamper the dead. In China, the tombs of the T’ang dynasty were incredibly rich with grave goods and murals. The T’ang preferred representational food items, so instead of a piece of pork or duck, the tombs included figurines of livestock.
Many cultures all over the world practice leaving food or drink at the grave of a loved one. Grieving families frequently leave items of significance to the deceased, such as memories that they hold dear, or comestibles that the deceased enjoyed deeply.
Sharing food with the dead is not just limited to one individual’s death. Throughout the world there are many places that have a special day of the year to honor all their ancestors. Mexico, Poland, and Japan all have festivals where special foods enjoyed by the deceased are served to show the mourners ongoing love and respect regardless of how long the ancestors have been departed.
So, what are all the rituals surrounding death and dinner?
Tutankhamun's tomb
According to ancient Mesopotamian literature, once a ghost entered the netherworld, things were pretty similar to when they’d been alive. Ghosts lived in houses and were reunited with family members who’d already passed on.
However, the netherworld was a dark and barren place, devoid of life. Food was believed to be ‘bitter’ and water ‘brackish’. For the dead, ‘dust was their food, clay their bread’. Ghosts therefore relied on food offerings from their living descendants.
In the Old Babylonian period (about 2000 - 1600 BCE), living relatives would leave food at the graves of the dead at the same time each month. If an offering was late or forgotten, the ghosts would return to the earth in search of sustenance, causing harm or misfortune to the living.
In Ancient Egypt it was common among royalty and nobility to have their servants, slaves and pets mummified alongside them, with the occasional bull, baboon or crocodile thrown in for good measure. But the dead also needed something to eat. ‘Meat mummies’ - literally mummified pieces of meat - were often buried alongside the departed to keep them full in the afterlife.
As far back as far 1386 - 1349 BCE (around 3,400 years ago), we find remains of mummified beef ribs and later examples of mummified goat leg (1290 BCE) and mummified calf (1070 - 945 BCE). In King Tutankhamun’s tomb, archaeologists found 48 cases containing cuts of beef and poultry. A feast fit for a king - though perhaps not enough for eternity.
However, the netherworld was a dark and barren place, devoid of life. Food was believed to be ‘bitter’ and water ‘brackish’. For the dead, ‘dust was their food, clay their bread’. Ghosts therefore relied on food offerings from their living descendants.
In the Old Babylonian period (about 2000 - 1600 BCE), living relatives would leave food at the graves of the dead at the same time each month. If an offering was late or forgotten, the ghosts would return to the earth in search of sustenance, causing harm or misfortune to the living.
In Ancient Egypt it was common among royalty and nobility to have their servants, slaves and pets mummified alongside them, with the occasional bull, baboon or crocodile thrown in for good measure. But the dead also needed something to eat. ‘Meat mummies’ - literally mummified pieces of meat - were often buried alongside the departed to keep them full in the afterlife.
As far back as far 1386 - 1349 BCE (around 3,400 years ago), we find remains of mummified beef ribs and later examples of mummified goat leg (1290 BCE) and mummified calf (1070 - 945 BCE). In King Tutankhamun’s tomb, archaeologists found 48 cases containing cuts of beef and poultry. A feast fit for a king - though perhaps not enough for eternity.
Roman relief depicting a funeral
From the Neolithic period (around 5000 BCE) to the end of the Ming dynasty (1644 BC), it was customary for the Chinese to bury grave goods with their dead. This extended to food and drink, which was stored in containers to provide sustenance on the journey to the spirit world.
In 2016, a team of researchers uncovered a 3,100-year-old tomb in China which contained various bronze soup bowls, alongside other ornately decorated food vessels. These were probably reserved for religious or burial ceremonies, rather than everyday meals.
In ancient Rome, funeral banquets were often held in front of the corpses before burial. In the 1st and 2nd centuries CE, Romans sacrificed a sow to Ceres, goddess of agriculture and fertility. The meat was shared between the deity, through burning it on a pyre, and the relatives, who ate it at the tomb. Stone seats were even incorporated into tomb and cemetery designs so people could dine with their dead.
The Romans also built tubes connecting the top of the grave with the crypt, allowing mourners to pour food and drink (mainly bread and wine) directly into the mouth of the corpse. This helped ‘feed’ the dead as they awaited the afterlife.
The Hungry Ghost Festival in most Southeast Asian countries, the Obon celebrations in Japan and periods dedicated to the dead elsewhere in the world all have their own unique customs. In India, at the holy town of Haridwar, immediately after a cremation, mourners usually traditionally head to a particular “halwai” or sweet shop to drink hot milk and partake of certain sweets in remembrance or as a tribute to the person whose funeral pyre is still smouldering at the cremation ground. Also, the belief goes that what you’re eating/drinking at that time will serve as a final meal and ensure a full stomach as it were and “fuel” for the dead person’s soul as it journeys to the other world.
So, do we really think spirits eat food like us? I don’t think so, but according to spiritualists and metaphysics experts, everything is energy, and this is what binds our deceased to we mortals – energy and matter. Therefore, it is the energy the food emits that the spirits absorb.
In 2016, a team of researchers uncovered a 3,100-year-old tomb in China which contained various bronze soup bowls, alongside other ornately decorated food vessels. These were probably reserved for religious or burial ceremonies, rather than everyday meals.
In ancient Rome, funeral banquets were often held in front of the corpses before burial. In the 1st and 2nd centuries CE, Romans sacrificed a sow to Ceres, goddess of agriculture and fertility. The meat was shared between the deity, through burning it on a pyre, and the relatives, who ate it at the tomb. Stone seats were even incorporated into tomb and cemetery designs so people could dine with their dead.
The Romans also built tubes connecting the top of the grave with the crypt, allowing mourners to pour food and drink (mainly bread and wine) directly into the mouth of the corpse. This helped ‘feed’ the dead as they awaited the afterlife.
The Hungry Ghost Festival in most Southeast Asian countries, the Obon celebrations in Japan and periods dedicated to the dead elsewhere in the world all have their own unique customs. In India, at the holy town of Haridwar, immediately after a cremation, mourners usually traditionally head to a particular “halwai” or sweet shop to drink hot milk and partake of certain sweets in remembrance or as a tribute to the person whose funeral pyre is still smouldering at the cremation ground. Also, the belief goes that what you’re eating/drinking at that time will serve as a final meal and ensure a full stomach as it were and “fuel” for the dead person’s soul as it journeys to the other world.
So, do we really think spirits eat food like us? I don’t think so, but according to spiritualists and metaphysics experts, everything is energy, and this is what binds our deceased to we mortals – energy and matter. Therefore, it is the energy the food emits that the spirits absorb.
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With that in mind, I’d like to leave you with some FYIs…
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