Dead Man in the Street

Last night, we stopped to get bread on our way to the Espirtu de Colchagua, which is where they make various liquors artesania. As we pulled up to the store, we couldn´t help but notice all these people and flashing lights. Ana came back from getting bread and she says...a man died. I looked at her ans asked...well, where, how? You don´t have a crowd of people in a street and an ambulance for a man dying in his house.

Well, by the time we started up the car again, the ambulance had left, but the crowd remained. As we passed, sure enough, there was the dead man, covered with a giant orange paper napkin, and everyone was just standing around staring. The Carabinero was just standing there waiting for the officials to come and say, yes he is dead, you can take him away.

I guess, I am more accostmed to privacy of such a situation...sheets, barriers, etc...this was more of a free show...a bit disturbing.

What happened? I guess, from what I hear, he had a heart attack while walking home.

With that being said...here is a little lesson on funerals in Chile...

First, they waste no time burying the dead around here. I would say the turn around is 24 hours. If your family lives elsewhere, tough, we are burying him in a days time.

Second, families and friends ut flowers on the top of the car carrying the body in a procession. Traditionally, families and friends walk behind the hurse. However, in a ¨colder¨funeral, family and friends follow in a car. By colder I mean, with less love.

Third, well, i don´t really have a third. They are buried in a cemetary in boxes above the ground (I am not able to find the word for this right now). Families will visit the cemetary often to pray and visit the family member or friend. Seriously, I think my host mom has been to the cemetary about 6 times since I have lived here. You can buy flowers at any of the 6 florerias right by the cemetary or at one of the seemingly hundreds of funerarias in this town. I swear, people are always dying around here.

So, that is the scoop on death in Chile.