berlin bones

For this episode of berlin bones, I went to visit Felix Ruckert, dancer, choreographer, and one of the initiators of the Death Festival Berlin. Its second edition takes place from 16–18 January 2026 at Holzmarkt 25. I was drawn to the festival for two main reasons: its strong focus on embodied, somatic practices alongside more familiar formats like talks and workshops, and its invitation to bring together “death practitioners,” artists, and complete novices in one shared space — a mix that promises a particularly rich exchange.In our conversation, Felix reflects on how the Festival of Death and Dying came into life, tracing its roots back to an initial festival in Australia. Who is it for and what to expect? We talk about why the team chose a festival format, and how participatory performances and rituals might help us prepare for death — our own, or that of others. We touch on the connections between death and sexuality, death and gardening, death and dance. The talk is closed with a simple embodied exercise you can try for reflecting on impermanence. If this sparks your curiosity, take a look at the full program with 40 participatory workshops, performances, talks, and ceremonies in English and German → www.deathfest.berlin

In this episode of berlin bones, my friend Sasha Lyamina takes me on a walk through the Jewish Cemetery in Weißensee — considered the second-largest Jewish cemetery in Europe, with around 115,000 graves spread across an area the size of 100 football fields. (The largest is in Łódź, Poland.)Sasha and I first met at a festival, where we instantly connected over our shared fascination with cemeteries. That meeting eventually led to us co-organizing the Deadly Matters exhibition last summer, during which we spent countless hours at the Georgen Parochial Cemetery II — with walks, talks, and installations.With a background in anthropology and roots in a Jewish family from Russia, Sasha eventually found her way to working at the Jewish Museum in Berlin. It was through this work that she became familiar with the Weißensee Cemetery — and drawn to exploring it beyond historical facts.In this episode, Sasha shares some of her favorite graves, stories and personalities she discovered here, along with insights into Jewish mourning and burial traditions — including the practices of Sitting Shiva (seven days of mourning) and Kriah (the ritual tearing of clothing as a sign of grief). We also talk about the ways the cemetery reflects a blending of religious and cultural identities, e.g. when post-Soviet communities bring their cultural practices into the cemetery.Follow me here:Project pageInstagram

Last year, I attended a Dharma talk at a Buddhist center—fittingly, the topic was about letting go. Afterwards, I approached the reception and said that I had quite an unusual request: I was looking for someone who could speak to me about Buddhist burial traditions. The person I spoke to smiled and said she might be able to help.That’s how I met today’s guest, Katrin Weimann—a Buddhist and consultant at Deutscher Kinderhospizverein (the German Children’s Hospice Association), who transitioned from a career in IT to full-time work in hospice and funeral services. We met at Friedhof Ruhleben, a cemetery in Berlin with a dedicated area for Buddhist graves, primarily serving the Vietnamese community. Here, a large Bodhisattva statue stands watch, embodying love and compassion as it guides the deceased on their journey. Buddha statues rest peacefully alongside angel figurines and crosses, with food gifts and tea sets. Katrin's English-speaking voice is AI-generated in elevenlabs.io. This episode was recorded in German, you can hear the original version here.

Letztes Jahr besuchte ich einen Dharma-Vortrag in einem buddhistischen Zentrum – passenderweise ging es ums Loslassen. Nach der Veranstaltung sprach ich an der Rezeption jemanden an und meinte: „Ich habe eine eher ungewöhnliche Frage – kennen Sie jemanden, der mir etwas über buddhistische Bestattungsrituale erzählen kann?“ Die Person, mit der ich sprach, lächelte und meinte, dass sie vielleicht helfen könne.So lernte ich Katrin Weimann kennen, meine heutige Gesprächspartnerin. Sie ist Buddhistin und Referentin beim Deutschen Kinderhospizverein. Früher arbeitete sie in der IT-Branche, doch dann veränderte sich ihr Weg hin zur Hospiz- und Bestattungsarbeit.Unser Gespräch fand auf dem Friedhof Ruhleben statt, wo es einen eigenen Bereich für buddhistische Gräber gibt – vor allem für die vietnamesische Gemeinschaft. Eine große Bodhisattva-Statue wacht dort über die Verstorbenen, ein Symbol für Liebe und Mitgefühl. Zwischen den Buddha-Statuen stehen Engelsfiguren und Kreuze – ein friedliches Miteinander verschiedener Traditionen.Im Hintergrund ist Berlin stets präsent: Vogelgezwitscher mischt sich mit dem Dröhnen von Hubschraubern und den Sirenen der Polizei – ein Hertha-Fußballspiel findet ganz in der Nähe statt. Eine besondere Geräuschkulisse für eine besondere Episode über die Frage: Wie geht buddhistisches Sterben in Berlin?Diese Folge gibt es auf Deutsch und Englisch.

How do you arrange a Muslim funeral in Berlin within 48 hours? What are the key rituals, cultural practices, and challenges faced by Muslim families during the grieving process? How many people choose to be sent to their home countries after death, and how is this organized? And why does the topic of cemetery spaces for Muslim burials in Berlin remain a point of discussion? In this episode of berlin bones, I sit down with Isikali Karayel, the founder of Markaz, a funeral home specializing in Muslim and international funerals. I first met Isikali during the Deadly Matters exhibition in the summer of 2024, where we explored life, death, and mourning rituals from various faith perspectives in Berlin. This is a calming and insightful conversation in which Isikali shares his extensive experience in the funeral industry, explains rituals such as ritual washing, and recounts his personal journey into this field as a business graduate. The episode is available in both German and English.