Sagada Hanging Coffins and Lumiang Burial Caves

How about carving your own coffin? In present times, it is very unusual. We have ready-made coffins, funeral homes, life insurance and social security system that would take care of us in this life or otherwise. All you have to do is die and leave all your funeral details to other people. But for the people of Sagada, that is the only way to go. The elderly carve their own coffins from hard wood and if you’re too ill to do it yourself, your son or other family members has to do it for you.

Sagada is a 5th class municipality in the Mountain Province of Northern Luzon and is famous for Bokong and Bomod-ok Falls, Rice Terraces, Echo Valley, Kiltepan Tower, Underground River, Lake Danum, and most especially the burial sites - the Sumaging Hanging Coffins and the Lumiang Burial Cave.

This ancient custom of hanging the coffins of loved-ones against the surrounding cliffs in Sagada was already more than 2000 years old tradition. It is no longer a common practice among modern-day Sagadans though, given the fact that the latest addition to the hangings coffins was placed there last June 2008. From, the viewing site, one can see hundreds of hanging coffins. As mentioned, the elderly carve their own coffins then ropes and wooden scaffoldings are used to hang the coffins. This custom has been traced from the natives’ belief that the higher the burial site, the nearer it is to heaven and it would be much easier for the soul of the departed to meet its maker and the anitos. Another reason, and a more practical one is to avoid the desecration of the body by animals and robbers alike.

In death a Sagadan is bound into a chair (Sangadi) during the wake period. The pre-burial feast includes dirges and animal sacrifices particularly a boar or a pig. The wake may last for several days depending on the wealth of the family. The body is wrapped with a burial cloth so that the spirits may recognize the dead and be invited into the spirit world. The body is also smoked through to prevent early decomposition. One would notice that the size of the coffin is smaller than the usual height of a person. This is because when placed inside the coffin, the dead is being forced into a fetal position. The Sagadans believes that people should pass through this world just the way they got in.

The funeral march starts at dawn and the family of the deceased would take turns in carrying the coffin. The elders would encourage people to participate because of the belief that spilling bodily fluids, like blood for instance, of the deceased to a person’s clothing would bring good luck and strength to the person.

This travel blog photo's source is TravelPod page: Taking it easy in Sagada

Aside from the cliffs, the burial cave is also a good option for the locals of Sagada. The Lumiang Burial Caves housed at least 200 coffins that have been there for 500 years. The funeral procession is being lead by torch bearers whose responsibility is to ensure that no birds, rats, chickens or snakes cross the path of the procession as it is considered a bad omen. Bad omen would mean finding another burial ground for the departed. Some of the coffins’ lids also bore the carvings of the lizard or gecko, the Sagadans’ symbol of fertility and longevity. It means that the person who owns the coffin is one of the elders or an esteemed leader.