Echo Valley & The Hanging Coffins

ECHO VALLEY & THE HANGING COFFINS

Photo from: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g304053-d555715-Reviews-Echo_Valley-Sagada_Mountain_Province_Cordillera_Region_Luzon.html

Echo Valley is a good introductory walk in Sagada, and a must for anyone visiting the town for the first time. It gives you a good introduction to the area and it is a nice walk taking in some pleasant scenery, including, of course, the famous hanging coffins. Read More: http://www.lakwatseradeprimera.com/sagada-finding-our-way-through-echo-valley/

Photo from: http://www.lakwatseradeprimera.com/sagada-finding-our-way-through-echo-valley/

The hanging coffins. Animist tribal folk believed that putting their dead in steep crevices made their loved ones nearer to the gods. Though the requirements are unclear, it’s important to note that not everyone is qualified to be buried in this way. For one, the deceased needs to have been married with grandchildren, among other things.

See that chair strapped to a coffin that looks just big enough for a child? It houses a fully grown adult whose knees have been forced to his chin. Covered with white cloth and bound using rope from the maguey plant, elders believe that placing the body in a fetal position like that symbolizes the start of a new life. It’s the first step in the dead’s journey towards the next life.

Can you spot the coffins? Laying the dead to rest in this way obviously has its share of dangers. Seeing how high up these coffins are, I’m guessing these were very important people.

Interestingly, while the body is being carried up to its final resting place, it’s considered auspicious if the dead’s blood is sprinkled on you. It means that you’ll enjoy bountiful harvests and much success in life. Because of this belief, everyone tries to touch the body for good luck. Read More: https://www.willflyforfood.net/2015/02/05/echo-valley-and-its-hanging-coffins-sagada-mountain-province/

Photo from: https://kimmychameleon.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/surviving-sagada/

Seeing the pictures than actually having been there is different. The feeling was inexplicable and a bit creepy at first. With the unexpected turn of events, what if these coffins fall to the ground and empty their contents? They, though, are tightly shut and withstood the test of time. And it doesn’t stink or smell.

The wooden coffins are beyond reach; I was tempted to reach one of them; the cliff on the side kept me at bay. Belief has it that the higher the coffin, the closer it is to heaven; and practically to protect from earthquakes and floods. More than effort, it takes importance and wealth to raise and secure the coffins in peace. Read More: http://mydisplacementmethod.blogspot.com/2015/01/sagada-hanging-coffins-and-other-stories.html

Photo from: https://photobento.wordpress.com/2012/04/10/sagada-mountain-province-the-magical-and-hypnotic-town/