What"s Hiding In The Hollows Of These Trees Is Morbid, Yet Strangely Beautiful

In the remote South Sulawesi region of Indonesia lives a small group called the Toraja. This tiny community appears to have the most elaborate funeral ceremonies on the planet. From the intricate embalming process that preserves bodies for weeks (sometimes even years) to the tree burials of deceased newborns, it seems the Toraja don’t fear death, but instead revere it as a necessary and beautiful part of life.

When a member of the Toraja people dies, their bodies aren’t buried into the ground. They are instead put into elaborate cave tombs dug into the mountain. Before this can happen, there is the Rambu Soloq, a series of funeral ceremonies that lasts for several days.

The ceremonies don’t take place immediately after death. First, the body undergoes an intricate embalming process that keeps it preserved until the family raises sufficient funds for a funeral party.

The ceremony begins with a mass slaughtering of animals. Tens of buffalo and hundreds of pigs are killed, all while young boys catch blood into bamboo sticks as a game.

The cave tombs are then dug into the mountainside. This process can take months to finally finish.

If the rock is too dense, wooden platforms like these are suspended from the cliffs.

Then a “Tau Tau,” a wooden effigy of the deceased, is placed on a cave wall along with those of their ancestors.

The Toraja villages are brimmed with these dolls.

Infants are not buried in caves, but are instead buried inside the hallows of trees.

As the tree heals over its hole, it is believed that the baby is absorbed into it, giving it strength.

(via Amusing Planet)

Every year or so, the mummified bodies of the deceased are brought out of the caves so that the Torajan people can celebrate “Ma’Nene,” an ancient celebration of the dead. The bodies are dressed up and paraded around the village for one last goodbye. Though this is incredibly morbid, it’s a unique and fascinating way to celebrate someone’s life in the community.

What"s Hiding In The Hollows Of These Trees Is Morbid, Yet Strangely Beautiful

Instead Of Burying You, This Company Will Do Something Infinitely More Strange

Italian designers Anna Citelli and Raoul Bretzel recently introduced a new burial technique with the potential to change the world. They call it the Capsula Mundi project, and it’s a shockingly simple concept.

Rather than burying dead bodies in wooden boxes in the ground, bodies are placed in a biodegradable sack like the ones below.

The sack is then buried in the ground, with a tree planted above.

The premise is that as the tree grows, it will use the nutrients produced by the human body as it decomposes. The designers wish for cemeteries to eventually look more like forests.

Here’s a diagram of the whole process.

At the moment, a law in Italy doesn’t allow for Citelli and Bretzel’s vision. According to Italian law, coffins can only be made from wood. However, the pair is gaining public support for their mission and working with officials to have the law changed.

(via aplus)

The concept of becoming a tree when you die is admittedly pretty cool. It’s at least much cooler (I think) than rotting in the ground for eternity. I hope the two manage to make this work in Italy, and that the United States isn’t far behind.

You can learn more about the Capsula Mundi project here.

Instead Of Burying You, This Company Will Do Something Infinitely More Strange

This Special House In The Middle Of A Forest Is So Cool, You"ll Be Speechless

We’re no strangers to invisible houses here at VN, but the soon-to-be Mirror House is one of the more impressive structures when it comes to the head-scratching factor. The house, deigned by Polish architecture firm Reform Architekt, is slated to be built in a wooded area outside Warsaw. It is still in its concept phases, but these images show what it will look like. That means that the photos you see here are mock-ups, created with digital imaging programs, but the actual house will look much the same. The structure will also rely on real-world materials to achieve the illusion.

(source Reform Architekt)

The house doesn’t exist yet, but Tomaszewski was kind enough to release his concept photos. If you’re interested in the design, you can see more projects over on the architecture firm’s website. We just hope that no one runs into this house by accident when it’s completed.

This Special House In The Middle Of A Forest Is So Cool, You"ll Be Speechless

When His Dad Was Too Drunk To Drive, This 7-Year-Old REALLY Stepped Up

Most ads on TV for beers tell you to drink responsibly and never drive when you are drunk. It’s a really dangerous thing to do that could injure not only yourself, but other people as well. So what do you do when you are too drunk to drive and you are with your 7-year-old son?

Well, this dad had the answer and boy, is it a doozy.

This father let his 7 year old son drive him home when he was too drunk to drive himself home.

The child was driving a tractor with his father sprawled out in the back all the way home, which was over 12 miles away.

The wild ride took place in the Chinese city of Yizhou. Hopefully, this was the first (and only) time this has happened…

(via RocketNews)

Drinking and driving is bad…but this might be even worse.

When His Dad Was Too Drunk To Drive, This 7-Year-Old REALLY Stepped Up

Two Close Friends Went Exploring In An Old House. What They Found Is Chilling.

When two friends explored California’s famously abandoned Barton Mansion, they probably knew about the potential for something spooky to happen. After all, the mansion is one of the most haunted places in the entire state.

What the friends encountered inside the mansion is something straight out of a horror movie. Luckily, they caught it all on tape.

(via Reddit)

Terrified yet? That figure in the doorway is said to be the so-called Barton Demon who haunts the old mansion. The previous owner, Dr. Ben Barton, was said to have become deeply involved in Satanic worship after his daughters died in the house under mysterious circumstances.

Could it be a hoax? Maybe, but you can see the camera sweep past the doorway earlier in the video, and there was nothing there. Regardless, I don’t think I’ll be sleeping well tonight.

Two Close Friends Went Exploring In An Old House. What They Found Is Chilling.

This Was Once A Cornerstone Of American Culture, But Now? A Mere Shadow.

In 1915, the Elks of New Castle, Pennsylvania, were a growing segment of the local population. Their members mostly came from a vaudeville or theater background. To accommodate their large numbers, the Elks built a new, more luxurious lodge in downtown New Castle.

As membership declined in the 1980s, the Elks moved to a smaller home and abandoned their old lodge. It sat vacant until 2011, when the town of New Castle made the decision to demolish the building.

However, before it was destroyed, Matthew Christopher visited the former lodge. The photographer behind the Abandoned America series and book rediscovered the beautiful, old building, full of decaying artifacts from a time long gone.

The beautiful old building from across the street.

According to a local historical website, the Elks didn’t pull any punches when they designed their new lodge. It had some pretty amazing amenities.

“The new building had a large basement and three full stories, with a large meeting/dancing hall on the top floor, a billiards parlor, social rooms, a two-lane bowling alley, a kitchen and dining area, locker rooms and shower facilities, and a reading and writing rooms,” according to Lawrence County Memoirs.

On the third floor of the building is a large theatrical oval room.

Christopher believes the room was designed this way because of the performing background of many Elks members.

According to Christopher, little effort was made by the town to save any of the lodge except for these chairs.

The doors are still on the old bathroom stalls.

Christopher made two trips to photograph the old lodge. Sadly, on his second trip, Christopher discovered that demolition was already underway.

Crews took a wrecking ball to the back of the building.

What a waste.

It’s always a shame to see such a beautiful old building destroyed instead of being rehabilitated. New buildings these days just don’t have the same character that they used to.

For more amazing pictures like these, visit Matthew Christopher over at Abandoned America. You can also buy his latest book on Amazon. Make sure to also follow him on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

This Was Once A Cornerstone Of American Culture, But Now? A Mere Shadow.