Describe the traditional funeral ritual of Zoroastrianism.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

According to the traditional format of the Zoroastrian funeral ritual, the body is washed and clothed in a simple white garment after death. A "four-eyed" dog with a spot above each eye is then brought in. The dog's appearance frightens evil spirits into fleeing but does not threaten the soul of the dead person, which hovers above the body for three days. The ritual is repeated five times a day. On the second day after death, mourners bring fire into the room and keep it burning there for three full days after the funeral. Placement of the body in a tower of silence must be done in the daylight.
The inside of the tower has three concentric circles, one each for men, women, and children, and a large central well in the center of the tower. The body is then unclothed, and after it is exposed, the mourners leave the tower. The vultures descend from their circling flight and take only about an hour to eat the flesh from the bones. Dried by the sun for a few days, the bones are swept into a large stone box in the central well, to preserve them reverently until the resurrection. On the fourth day after death, the soul goes into the presence of Ahura Mazda and is judged. Special prayers are offered on this day for souls of the dead.