Indonesia Toraja tribesmen display all decked-up corpses of ancestors in Ma'nene ritual

The annual ritual called Ma'nene is observed in the Toraja district of Indonesia.

It's the actual walking dead time in Indonesia where members of a tribe are parading corpses of their dead relatives to mark an ancient festival. The annual ritual called Ma'nene is observed in the Toraja district of Indonesia's South Sulawesi Province.

The Toraja people believe that their ancestors are still around even if their souls departed hundreds of years ago. Ma'nene is held to honour the dead.

As part of the festival, the ethnic people exhume the preserved corpses of their ancestors and put them on display in fashionable manner.

The mummies are washed, groomed and dressed in modern clothes before being taken on a walk round the village.

People of all ages reverently clean the mummies before adorning them with makeup and new dresses. Some corpses are decorated with sunglasses and hats to give contemporary look to the ancestors.

The bodies are laid to rest again in their coffins at the end of the age-old ritual. When graves will be dug for Ma'nene next year, mummies' clothes will be replaced with new and trendy outfits.

"The ritual is held yearly and is regarded as a manifestation of the Torajanese's love for their ancestors, leaders and relatives who have died," photographer Herman Morrison told the Daily Mail.

"The age of the corpses varies, but some are more than 100 years old. Some of the deceased men are dressed up in suits and ties. It was an amazing sight to witness," he said.

The Toraja people are known to have one of the most complex funeral traditions in the world. The rites are elaborate and an expensive affair through which the locals believe they develop an eternal bond with their family members even after death.

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