Religious Vacation by Eleanor Williams

Pura Tanah Lot

eleanor_williams_436 — 2015-12-29 20:09:21 UTC

Located in Bali, Indonesia, the Tanah Lot is a beautiful Hindu temple. It's one of the cultural icons and promises an exotic experience for visitors.

Shwedagon Pagoda

eleanor_williams_436 — 2015-12-29 20:18:54 UTC

The buddhist Shwedagon Pagoda is located in Dagon Township, Myanmar. It's a magnificent, sacred ground for buddhists.

Budapest Great Synagogue

eleanor_williams_436 — 2015-12-29 21:13:50 UTC

This is a great synagogue for the Jewish religion. It's located in Budapest Hungary and is the largest synagogue in Europe.

Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar

eleanor_williams_436 — 2015-12-29 21:20:18 UTC

This Basilica, a type of Catholic church, is located in Aragon, Spain. It's the first church built dedicated to Mary.

Al Aqsa Mosque

eleanor_williams_436 — 2015-12-30 04:59:00 UTC

This Islamic Mosque is located in Jerusalem, Palestine. It is the third most sacred site in all of Islam.

Ka'ba

eleanor_williams_436 — 2015-12-30 05:55:12 UTC

The Ka'ba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia is the most sacred place in the Islam religion. It's a shrine said to have been built by Abraham and is the direction where Muslims should pray.

Bodh Gaya

eleanor_williams_436 — 2015-12-30 06:05:07 UTC

Bodh Gaya, located in Bihar India, is the most sacred Buddhist place. It's said to be where Buddha reached enlightenment. Along with this Great Buddha statue, it also contains the Mahabodhi temple.

Bethlehem

eleanor_williams_436 — 2015-12-30 06:11:40 UTC

Located in West Bank, Palestine, Bethlehem is iconic to the Christian faith because it is the birthplace of Jesus, the holy Messiah.

The Temple Mount

eleanor_williams_436 — 2015-12-30 06:19:09 UTC

The Temple Mount is the holiest Jewish religious site. Located in Jerusalem, The Temple Mount is regarded as the place where God's divine presence is more there than anywhere else.

Jagannath Puri Temple

eleanor_williams_436 — 2015-12-30 06:25:41 UTC

This Hindu temple, located in Odisha, India, is one of the four highly sacred pilgrimage sites called Char Dham.

Islam Burial Practices

eleanor_williams_436 — 2015-12-30 16:50:12 UTC

When a Muslim dies, there's a mourning period, they wash the dead in a specific way, the "shroud" the body (wrapping), they say a prayer to aid in them in getting to heaven (heaven and hell is determined on how much they acted on God's desires) have a funeral, and bury them. Their graves aren't very extravagant.

Christian Burial Practices

eleanor_williams_436 — 2015-12-30 16:59:22 UTC

Christians believe that when someone dies, their Judged by God and they either go to heaven or hell. Their funerals can be held at a crematorium or a church, usually about a week after death. There, they say prayers, read scripture, and sing hymns. Catholic funerals differ in that they also believe in Purgatory which is the place of waiting to be judged and their funerals follow more of a set in stone procession.

Hindu Burial Practices

eleanor_williams_436 — 2015-12-30 17:18:05 UTC

When someone dies, Hindus pray over the body, hold a fire ceremony, and prepare the body and cremate it. Then, they go home and shower away their impurities from touching the dead and clean. They have various memorial days they recognize as well.

Buddhist Burial Practices

eleanor_williams_436 — 2015-12-30 17:30:25 UTC

Early buddhists would follow the Hindu ritual of cremating the body and some still do. Monks come and comfort a dying buddhist and chant various verses. Buddhists believe that when someone dies, for 4 days, they're unaware of their death and are in a state of trance. Afterwards, they "go to the light" and if they accept it, they will fall out of the rebirth cycle. Most do not, however and run away from it.

Jewish Burial Practices

eleanor_williams_436 — 2015-12-30 17:47:12 UTC

Jews hold a traditional funeral soon after death in respect for the dead and mourners. Afterwards, they have specific mourning periods called Shiva and Shloshim. Shiva is the 1st 7 days where the mourners stay at home and people come and comfort them. Shloshim is the 30 day mark when they really begin living without their loved one.

Helpful Tips Video

eleanor_williams_436 — 2016-01-05 00:44:52 UTC