The Festival of the Bone episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 29, 2026 · 5 MIN

The Festival of the Bone

from The Grief Lab · host The Grief Lab

In the West, we often treat grief like a private medical condition something to be 'treated' behind closed doors with tissues and hushed voices. But as we open our Global Season, we find that for much of the world, grief is a loud, communal, and even 'vibrant' affair.Today, we are investigating The Festival of the Bone. We’re traveling from the Día de los Muertos in Mexico to the Famadihana in Madagascar. We’re asking: why do some cultures literally dig up their dead to dance with them? And what does this do to the Mirror Neurons and Oxytocin levels of the survivors? If you’ve always thought funerals should be silent, prepare to have your Lab equipment rattled. We’re looking at 'The Joy of the Grave.'Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-grief-lab--6886563/support.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Mar 29, 2026

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The Festival of the Bone

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This episode was published on March 29, 2026.

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