The Death Rituals in the City of OuedZem and Its Valleys During the French Protectorate Era

After a person's illness becomes severe, his family members rush to make every effort to treat him, using traditional methods that include a group of herbs that are cooked in water in order to drink them, or burned in order to inhale their scent. This is what Abdel-Ghani Mandib explains by saying: “When an individual is afflicted with a certain disease and its symptoms appear clear, treatment first turns towards traditional medical prescriptions, which most often consist of herbs or natural materials available on the spot and are usually used to reduce high body temperature, relieve pain, stop bleeding, or something else.” . However, if the illness becomes severe, the family tries to transfer him quickly to the nearest hospital center so that he can receive treatment. However, if he passes away, that is God’s decree and will. “A person’s life in this world is not all joys and pleasures, and not all of his days are days of holidays and parties. Rather, it is interspersed from time to time with moments of sorrow and distress.” It may be longer or shorter, and affect souls to one degree or another, depending on the degree of control over it and adaptation to it. Perhaps the most difficult of these moments are the moments of loss of an individual and his final departure, which requires carrying out several rituals and practices for the dead person to enjoy comfort after death.