Discover unique burial customs in Greece! Some of them are unbelievable, from washing the deceased’s bones in wine to the use of a “bone box”.
There is hardly a prettier place on earth than Greece, with its turquoise waters and hillsides covered in white-washed buildings. But its beauty isn’t the only thing that makes Greece an unusual place. The way that families bury their loved ones is different from other cultures. Even within the various regions of Greece, there are unique burial customs.
The unique burial customs in Greece are primarily based on Greek Orthodox religious beliefs.
About 90% of the Greek population identifies as Greek Orthodox, making it the prevailing religion. Even the Greek national constitution recognizes Eastern Orthodox Christianity as the prevailing faith. Many Greeks call themselves Greek Orthodox, even if they do not attend church.
The Body is a Temple of the Spirit
In the Greek Orthodox culture, it is believed that the body is a temple of the spirit. This means the body is sacred. It must be buried in its entirety in order to make resurrection possible at the Second Coming of Christ.
Due to this “temple of the spirit” doctrine, cremation was illegal in Greece until 2006. Even then, for more than a decade after it was made legal, not a single person was cremated. This is because there weren’t any crematoriums built in Greece until 2019, due to opposition from the Greek Orthodox Church.
Back in 2006, the Church of Greece spokesman stated: “The Church does not oppose and has no right to oppose the cremation of the dead for those of other religions or other Christian denominations. For Orthodox people, though, it recommends burial as the only way for the decomposition of the deceased human body, according to its long traditions.”
Everything Happens . . . Eventually
Those who are familiar with Greek culture will understand that some things simply move more slowly under the Mediterranean sun.
Greek culture embraces the philosophy of “siga-siga,” which translates to “slowly, slowly”. This philosophy emphasizes a relaxed approach to time. It favors savoring moments, late mornings, long breaks, afternoon siestas, and late dinners that linger into the night. This contrasts sharply with faster cultures.
It also means that change is slow to occur. Bureaucracy in Greece has multiple layers of approval with tedious processes and paperwork. Thus, burial practices have remained nearly the same since the Dark Ages.
There was another problem as well. Even though cremation was legalized in 2006, the scattering of ashes on consecrated ground is prohibited. So Greek citizens who want to have family members cremated need to transport the bodies to the nearest crematorium. That happens to be in Bulgaria.
Paying a “Pretty Penny”
As you can imagine, thousands of years of burials, often on small Greek islands, led to a shortage of land. In large cities, a permanent family plot with enough space for just two gravesites can cost up to $200,000!
Prices are kept high due to the land being so valuable for tourism. In villages, longer-term or indefinite family plots are sometimes available at a somewhat lower cost.
In addition, there are expenses for ongoing maintenance, the opening and closing of the grave, not to mention the cost of a headstone.
Rent-A-Grave
If the family chooses not to purchase a burial plot, the only other full-burial option is to rent a grave. Families can lease a plot for three or five years. Following that time period, the body must be exhumed to allow space for a more recently departed person.
It’s still expensive to rent a burial plot. It can cost up to $120,000 for a 3-5 month time period.
Ossuary Boxes
After the body has decomposed for three to five years, the bones are exhumed. By law, family members must attend the exhumation.
The bones are carefully and lovingly cleaned and placed in an ossuary. An ossuary is a chest or box meant to hold human skeletal remains. They are usually made of soft limestone, but are also made of tin, wood, clay, or even silver. Ossuary boxes are frequently used wherever burial space is scarce.
Sometimes the word ossuary is used for the building in which the boxes are placed. These buildings can be small and privately owned. Or they can be vast buildings resembling a library with shelves full of bones.
If the family members do not attend the exhumation, the bones of the deceased are placed in a mass grave. Then the bones are dissolved with chemicals.
Washing and Anointing
In some regions of Greece, the bones are washed with wine and anointed with oil. Often, the entire family takes part in this sacred ritual. The wine is a symbol of blood and remembrance. Oil is symbolic of healing, regeneration, and immortality.
When the bones have been respectfully cleaned and anointed, they are placed in an ossuary box.
One individual described washing his father’s bones with wine, placing them in a box, and storing them in a shed. This was done to make space in the family burial plot for his mother.
Ancient Greek Burial Customs
Unique burial customs are nothing new in Greece. The washing of the deceased’s bones with wine has been a practice associated with funerary rituals since ancient times.
In ancient Greece, the female relatives of the deceased performed the following rites:
- Washing: The body was washed, sometimes with seawater, soon after death. This was a ritual act, similar to a bridal bath, signifying a transition to another state.
- Anointing: After washing, the body was anointed with fine olive oil or sweet-scented essences and dressed in clean, white garments.
- Laying out: The body was then laid on a high bed with the feet facing the door. Friends and family came to pay their respects.
- Burial/Cremation: Following the public mourning period, the body was either buried or cremated. (Cremation was allowed anciently from about 1000 BCE to 325 BCE.) Wine was poured over the body while it was on the funeral pyre. Wine was even used to extinguish the ashes.
- Gathering of the Bones: After a cremation, the women gathered the ashes and bones. The act of collecting the bones was known as “ossilegium”. Just as is done today, they sometimes washed the bones with wine and anointed them with oil. Then the bones and ashes were placed in an urn. The urn was buried with offerings of food, ointments, and pottery.
A Time to Celebrate
In Greece, it is common for extended families to jointly own a small building for family celebrations and worship.
Buildings with red roofs are owned by families that are employed in agriculture. The red color is symbolic of the land.
Buildings with blue roofs are owned by families that are employed as fishermen. The blue is symbolic of water.
Depending on the family’s line of work, the interiors of the buildings are also painted red or blue.
A Family Chapel
This blue-themed building complex is the Agios Isidoros Kontiza Family Chapel Ossuary on the island of Mykonos. It has three separate rooms.
The first room is a dedicated chapel. It is here that the family can pray, read scriptures, burn candles, and invite a priest to conduct services.
The second room serves as a burial vault. Ossuary boxes, filled with the bones of deceased family members, are embedded in the walls. Each one is marked with the name, birth, and death dates of the deceased.
Following an interment, relatives can visit the ossuary. They occasionally remove the boxes to pay respects or have a priest bless the remains. They can even open the boxes to stroke the bones.
The third room is in a separate small building called a “keli”. It has long tables for feasts with benches that seat dozens of guests.
The “keli” is used for hosting family and friends at a solemn meal after the funeral service. The meal is called the “makaria”. Simple foods are served, such as bread, olives, and cheese. They also eat “koliva,” a mixture of wheat berries, sugar, nuts, and pomegranate. “Koliva” symbolizes eternal life. More elaborate memorial services are held at 9 days, 40 days, and annually.
More joyous events are also held in the “keli”. It is the meeting place for “panigiri” celebrations, religious village festivals held to honor patron saints. It includes feasting on foods like roasted lamb, live traditional music, and dancing until dawn. These events are held to preserve Greek heritage and are especially popular during the summer months across the islands and the mainland.
The “keli” is also used for huge family birthday parties. It is also used for “naming day” celebrations. “Naming days” are the anniversaries of the day they were given a name as a baby.
Respect and Remembrance
The unique burial customs in Greece may be distressing to some people from other cultures. However, for the Greeks, the practice of exhuming and caring for the bones of the deceased serves a practical purpose. It is also rooted in the cultural tradition of showing deep reverence for the deceased and their remains.
Many of the unique burial customs of Greece remain the same today as they have been for the past 1500 years. This is thanks to the widely accepted belief that the body is a temple of God. This reaffirms for many that burying it intact after death is the ideal way to prepare for the resurrection.
Learn More
You may also enjoy these BillionGraves blog posts:
- Burial Customs from Around the World
- 10 of the World’s Most Beautiful Cemeteries
- How to Find a Gravestone at the Cemetery
Find Your Own Ancestors’ Gravesites
Every life has a story to tell, and everyone deserves to be remembered. Check out the BillionGraves website to find information about your ancestors today!
Happy Cemetery Hopping!
Cathy Wallace
