Rosary Research Paper

Anthropology 344 12/13/10 Guam - Death, Family, and Tradition The people of Guam, also known as Chamorro, have a unique burial practice that aims to assist the dearly departed in the afterlife. In present day, the people of Guam are majority Catholic and celebrate Catholic traditions with a mixture of their cultural traditions. Their practices date back to the ancient Chamorro belief system of ancestral worship, but have since been comingled with Catholicism brought by the Spanish in 1521. They believe in the power of prayer and how it can affect the destination of ones soul. Chamorros spend nine days before and after a person is buried to help guide a spirit to heaven. I had the pleasure of experiencing their ritual and took the account of a local man to help explain their practices that are dissimilar to the burial practices of regular Catholic traditions. I attended a lisayu, or rosary recital, of a friends uncle who had recently died. The lisayu is the practice of reciting the rosary twice a day in honor of the dead. This ritual is usually held at the home of the deceased or at the church parish where the deceased practiced faith. The lisayu is a religious event open to family and friends, so there is kind of an inherent need for a place that can hold a large gathering. As I arrived at the residence of the deceased, I immediately noticed the house surrounded by 5-6 tents and about 300 or so chairs that were set out for guests. As people arrived and took their seats, there was an air of silence that everyone maintained. People sat and waited for the rosary to begin, but were sure to be as silent as possible. It seems as if it is a sign of disrespect to make noise or do any action that disrupts the grievance process. If there are any neighbors surrounding the residence, they are either in attendance at the prayer or are aware of the need to pay the same respect of silence as if they were in attendance. It is almost as if I were attending a funeral