Tibetan Buddhists have a unique funeral custom called sky burials, in which the dead are taken to a high-altitude area for vultures to consume their remains, a practice that is regarded as spiritual and practical. How they are prepared: Sky burials reportedly serve as an offering to the gods and a way to prepare the soul for reincarnation. Sending off: Once the deceased's family has selected a “lucky day,” the body is then unwrapped and bent in a sitting, fetal position with the head between the knees before a burial master takes the body up to the mountains, generally far away from the residential area, where they chop the remains in pieces while laughing.