Fascinating funeral ceremonies around the world
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All people mourn the loss of their family and friends, but not all cultures wear black and gather at the cemetery. Some cultures see it as a new beginning for the person and the only appropriate send-off is a party, while others perform rituals steeped in custom. Here are five fascinating funerary traditions from around the globe.
1. Street parades and cremation in Bali
In Bali, funerals are times of celebration, seen as a new life for the deceased person whose soul is believed to have been released to God. Depending on the individual’s wealth, there are huge parade-like processions, where everyone in the town or village gathers to see the ornately decorated coffin, sometimes decorated with statues, flowers and so on, carried through the streets.
The Balinese also have cremation ceremonies called ngaben, which aim to cleanse the soul of the deceased so that it will be unified with God. The ceremony is a month long and all of the village members work together to help the family of the deceased. The body is dressed in traditional Balinese garb and placed in a coffin or temple-like structure to be set on fire. Before it is burned, family and friends pay their respects. The coffin is also rotated three times before being set on fire to confuse evil spirits. Twelve days after the cremation, the family gathers and collects the ashes and scatters them into a nearby river or sea.
2. Jazz funerals in New Orleans
The Balinese aren’t the only ones who incorporate street parades into their funeral customs. Jazz funerals were practiced often in New Orleans in the early 1900s before the world wars, where such hot music was considered inappropriate. But, they made a resurgence in the 1960s. The roots of jazz funerals come from New Orleans’ African and Haitian heritage where, in most cases, funerals are a time of celebration.
Read more: The musical Mississippi and Deep South
A typical jazz funeral begins with a march by the deceased person’s family and friends as well as a brass band, from the home or church to the cemetery. Throughout the march the band plays sombre tunes until the body is laid to rest. Afterwards, the streets come alive with lively, excited and upbeat tunes to celebrate the life of the deceased. Today, the most common jazz funerals are for musicians themselves, or for prominent figures in the community.
3. Enviro-friendly burials in the United States
With the world’s growing consciousness of the effects human-kind has on the environment, the ‘green burial’ tradition is gaining momentum in Western countries, particularly in the United States. A green funeral involves placing the body of the deceased in a coffin made of natural materials such as wicker, plywood, cardboard or pine, with linen or calico linings. The coffin is then buried in a designated area of natural bushland. Other countries including Australia also has several green burial sites.
Eternal Reefs is another concept developed in the United States. It was dreamt up by two college roommates from the University of Georgia who were keen divers. They noticed the significant deterioration of the reefs they were visiting and conceptualised an artifical reef. The process involves the body of the deceased being cremated and then incorporated into concrete replica reefs with memorial plaques on them. These are then cast into the ocean where they serve as housing for all kinds of marine life.
4. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander custom in Australia
While Aboriginal communities may share common beliefs, their funerary customs differ significantly between communities. The aim of Aboriginal death rituals in general, however, is to ensure safe passage of the spirit into the afterlife. After a person has died, in some cultures taking photographs, writing the name of the deceased or speaking their name is not allowed, as it’s believed this could bring their spirit back to the world and affect their passing into their dreaming.
A smoking ceremony where the individual’s home, belongings and place of death are smoked out will almost always take place as it’s believed this will help the spirit depart from this world to the next.
In some Torres Strait Islander cultures, there is a view there is life after death, often attributed to the influence of Christian missionaries. When a member of the Torres Strait Island community passes, they are dressed by family members of the same gender before being buried. When they are lowered into the ground, dirt is thrown onto the coffin to signify a return to the dust. The next process is the tombstone unveiling, which can happen up to five years after the burial, that signifies the end of the mourning period.
5. Fantasy coffins in Ghana
Nothing is too garish or over-the-top in Ghana. Funerals in the West-African nation are big celebrations with lots of people and a lot of noise. That’s perhaps why the fantasy coffin trend took off so spectacularly, where you can get any kind of coffin design under the sun. You can opt for a giant fish, safari animals, chillies, Coca-Cola bottles, cigarette packets, luxury cars, shoes and even naked women.
Read more: Susan Sarandon’s Africa: A journey to honour her brother
When the business began in the 1950s, it’s reported that the coffins were chosen to suit people’s personalities and professions – for example, a fisherman would have a fish coffin and someone who always wanted to travel would get an airplane coffin.
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