Man buried alive at his own funeral and says it renewed his 'vigour for life'

03 October 2023 , 06:25

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Víctor Amela being buried (Image: Jam Press)

A man held his own funeral while still alive – digging the grave on the farm where he was born and spending an hour underground.

Víctor Amela said farewell to his friends and family and went underground to “experience” death. He said the stunt gave him a renewed vigour for life. Amela, 63, dug the hole then ordered his coffin.

Afterwards, a priest arrived to carry out the service and loved ones read eulogies to the Spanish writer. He reportedly spent an hour underground and, despite initial fears, went on to enjoy the experience. 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's loved ones attending the funeral (Jam Press)

Amela said he could hear the eulogies from loved ones and became very emotional. He could hear them crying because “they really lived it”. Amela added: “Afterwards, I was born again. I wanted to continue living for another 40 years.”

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He said he carried out the stunt a year ago to coincide with his 62nd birthday. Amela explained that he 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.

Amela 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. 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.

Victor was buried alive for an hour (Jam Press)

“He said ‘Victor, you are going to die at 65 because your unconscious is going to try to fulfil that mandate’.” 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.”

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.

Lee Bullen