Waziya Cemetery
Waziya Cemetery is a sanctuary within the northern forests of Ąpawičhak’ya. The cemetery’s commitment to green burials reflects a reverence for the cycle of life and the eternal connection between humanity and nature. Founded on the principles of Astoria by the Church, the cemetery is a community center for Astorians needing solace from grief and the reminder that death is not only natural, but a rebirth rather than loss.
Death is not an end but a continuation of life and a return to the embrace of Mother Nature. To aid in this transition, Waziya burial traditions have the departed laid to rest without casket so the body can naturally decompose. Pre-burial rituals include wrapping the body in various foliage, flowers, and the crown of thorns. Each gravesite is adorned with native flora, or set near trees, as human compost fertilizes cemetery soil.
The cemetery has two parlor locations where bodies are kept for burial: one in the actual cemetery for Waziya residents, and one in the capital where bodies are kept before transport. The logistics of burial–time, date, location, those in attendance–are finalized in the capital for city residents that can’t make the journey up north. It’s common for Astorians to designate their burial site and preferred saplings in advance before death.
Ordained by the Church, criminals and sacrilegious figures who get sent to Waziya post-mortem are denied a green burial. Instead, they are buried in oak caskets near the Shrouded North, where their bodies cannot return to Mother Nature and their souls aren’t able to pass on the way they’re meant to.
Regardless of the life one has lived, Waziya Cemetery is the go-to place for burial in Ąpawičhak’ya. Their funeral celebrations help bring comfort to Astorians still not ready to return to Mother Nature and let their spirit move on.
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