No clean life without washing
Who wants to go through life unwashed, sweaty or dirty? Noone – hence this phrase rings true for all countries and cultures.
Washing oneself, taking a bath or a shower is not just a personal need, but a cultural requirement. Many cultures have integrated cleansing rituals with religious ceremonies, with which soul and mind should be purified.
The washing begins right at birth, when we are cleansed of the blood of our mother and it doesn`t stop with death.
The dead are oiled or embalmed by their relatives before burial. They should leave clean.
The picture shows no freshly cleaned body, but bones and skulls. Agile hands with rubber gloves sort out the bones and wash the dirt off in a basin of water.
The event takes place in Bosnia. After the war and displacements a mass grave with several skeletons was found. These are cleaned by helpers, then sorted so as to be buried individually. The shoes found in the grave are cleaned and set beside the corresponding pile of bones. Just as soldiers are sent off to a dirty war in clean shoes, so they are lain into the grave.
The work has to be done, as the law of cleanliness works beyond death. Without clean death there`s no clean life for which one`s heart still beats.
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