In India, rituals will take place after 16 days of anyone's death. Can anyone please inform a single word for that rituals happening in India?.

closed as off-topic by John M. Landsberg, Barrie England, Bradd Szonye, cornbread ninja 麵包忍者, TrevorD Sep 16 '13 at 0:02


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    This question appears to be off-topic because it is about identifying a cultural phenomenon in India. It is not genuinely about English usage. – John M. Landsberg Sep 15 '13 at 7:29

For practices and traditions specific to your culture, you need to take the word in your native language and Latinize it.

The English alphabet is a Latin alphabet set.

Latinizing is the act of transliterating the pronunciation of a non-Latin script into Latin character set.

For example, the Japanese word harakiri, the Arabic word jihad, the Hindi word that ultimately resulted in bungalow, the Malay words that ultimately resulted in agar-agar, orang utan and amuck, and the Yiddish words schmuck, mensch, chutzpah.

For example, the sitar. There is no other word in English than calling it a sitar.

Cita is a Sanskrit word I have come across used in English literature related to Indian funeral pyres.

Sati is the Sanskrit word used in English related to the sacrificial (euphemistically called dedication) burning of a living wife on her husband's Cita. There is no other word for it in English.

However, 16 days is perceived to be period for the soul's passage from this world to the next, or whatever, according to certain Hindu traditions. Where the soul is said to be too attached to his/her abode/house to leave until the 16th day. In such a case, you should call it the Rite of Passage and Detachment.

If you further wish to describe the appeasement process of food offering to the soul, then perhaps, the Rite of Appeasement, Passage and Detachment. Then, you would wish to say it takes 16 days - the 16 day Rite of Appeasement, Passage and Detachment. Then, you might also wish to remind that sraddhas are chanted to elevate the status of the soul thro out those 16 days. Therefore,

the 16 day Rite of Appeasement, Elevation Passage and Detachment.

That is a mouthful. You should use the Sanskrit or your Indian word (be it Hindi, Tamil, etc), italicized.

Therefore, I recommend you use the phrase and the Sanskrit word

the 16 day **antyesti,

With the following italicized passage at the bottom of the funeral handout page:

16 days is perceived to be period for the soul's passage from this world and according to our Hindu traditions, the soul would leave his/her familiar abode on the 16th day. Thro out this period the soul is offered appeasement, consolation and chants of spiritual elevation. On the 16th day, the deceased body is then free to undergo funeral disposition.

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    If you are really using my answer as your guide to a funeral invite, please be cautious. Certain people may not take well to the word "disposition" because it sounds very close to the word "dispose". – Blessed Geek Sep 15 '13 at 16:37
