Manene Festival, during which the Toraja people dig up the bodies of their deceased relatives

On the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, the Toraji people live, who conduct a very peculiar ritual. 

Every three years, representatives of the toraja dig up the bodies of their deceased relatives for the Manene ceremony.

The name of the festival "Manene" translates as "the ceremony of purification of the bodies of the dead". The body of the deceased is exhumed and dressed in beautiful clothes. This ritual emphasizes the close connection between the world of the living and the dead.

The body of the deceased Nek Tosai in beautiful decoration before the Manene festival (left). Ari Titus holds the body of his brother Jeffrey, who died as a child.

Funerals are one of the most important and expensive events in the life of the community. Toraja's people spend their whole lives saving up for a decent funeral.

During the Manene ceremony, the toraji dry the mummies of three deceased relatives, then clean them and dress them in new clothes.

At the beginning of the funeral, the torajas slaughter a buffalo or bull and place the horns near their relative's house. The more horns that adorn the family home, the higher the social status of the deceased.

The Tiranda family puts on sunglasses for their deceased relative during the Manene ritual, which is held every three years in the village of Pangala.

At the end of the ceremony, the body is placed in a stone cave in the rock (left). From this moment, the soul of the deceased begins its journey to the other world. The coffins are located in the graves (on the right) and are removed from there before the Manene festival.

The deceased are called "sick" or "asleep" because the Toraj consider them alive until the funeral.

Torajas bury their relatives where they have lived most of their lives or died. Deviation from this tradition causes disagreements in families. For example, there are cases when the spouses want to be buried next to each other and thus put their partner above the blood ties.

Torajian men perform the sesemba ritual in a village on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Often the burial takes place several years after the death, so the family of the deceased has enough time to prepare a lavish funeral.

The photographer was told the story of how a Torajian man named Pong Rumasek found the body of a deceased man under a tree while hunting in the mountains. Rumasek dressed him in his own clothes and buried him with all the honors. The hunter believes that this will bring him well-being.

Torajian men cook boar in the traditional way on bamboo sticks before the Manene festival.