'I dug my own grave and was buried alive for one hour to experience death'

02 October 2023 , 11:52

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Victor Amela spent around an hour underground before being dug back up (Image: Jam Press)

A man dug a grave, ordered a coffin and held his own funeral with his family and friends in attendance while still alive. Victor Amela spent around an hour underground and could hear eulogies from loved ones while he was buried.

The 63-year-old dug the grave on the farm where he was born before a priest arrived to carry out the service. The Spanish writer explained he wanted to "experience" death and said the stunt gave him a renewed vigour for life.

He told the Spanish TV show Horizonte: "My friends spoiled me. It was wonderful and I enjoyed it immensely. When they covered me and I was left in the dark, I could hear the shovelfuls of dirt landing on the coffin.

"For a second, I was gripped by panic. But it came and went away. I then started to relax and enjoy it." He added: "I wished I could stay there longer."

Victor Amela wanted to 'experience' death and said the stunt gave him a renewed vigour for life (Jam Press)

While uncommon in western culture, the practice of attending one's own funeral while still alive is called 'seizenso' in Japanese culture. Helping people gain a new perspective on life, seizenso is common in Japan and South Korea and is growing in popularity in the US and UK.

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Victor explained he became very emotional while underground as he could hear the eulogies from loved ones. He could hear them crying because "they really lived it". Victor added: "Afterwards, I was born again. I wanted to continue living for another 40 years."

The writer first became interested in his own death when he was 15 years old. He was playing with an Ouija board with pals when he asked the spirits what age he would pass away.

Victor explained: "I regretted it later, don't do it at home. The glass marked 65. For a 15-year-old boy, 65 years feels like immortality, it is very far away.

Victor was buried alive for around an hour (Jam Press)

Victor's friends and family attended the service (Jam Press)

"When I was 55 and interviewing filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky, the memory of the Ouija board came back to me and I told him about it. He said 'Victor, you are going to die at 65 because your unconscious is going to try to fulfil that mandate'."

With this in mind, Victor carried out the stunt a year ago to coincide with his 62nd birthday. Now, he no longer thinks about death and insists he enjoyed the experience.

He added: "The experience of my own funeral helped me to stop thinking about the possibility of dying at 65, to strengthen the bonds of friendship with people who love me and who I love. And to set an example to one of my friends so he can one day be encouraged to do it. Let's bury him too!"

Lee Bullen