Black cultures and communities around the world celebrate and mark death and funerals in a diverse multitude of ways. In honour of Black History Month, Holly and Nichola from the Poppy’s funerals team in London explored and discussed just some of the rich practices for death and funerals that can be found in African and Caribbean cultures and their diasporas.
Though traditions are hugely diverse, Nichola identified some commonalities from her own experience of death and funerals.
“My dad's from Barbados. There’s a lot that we do that reflects our culture – like wanting to stop the traffic for our person, or to celebrate and play loud music. There's often an open invite for Black funerals, and a lot of people will come that you’ve only met once, or you haven't seen in years. Open coffins and having the coffin at home are also quite common.
“But I also think there's a lot of traditions that people don't feel comfortable to fully celebrate in the way they might do if they were in their home countries – or things that have been watered down. Back in the 40s and 50s, Black women were carried off to asylums because of the way they acted at gravesides – but that level of expression was an outlet for their grief.”
Here are ten death and funeral traditions that can be found in African and Caribbean cultures and their diasporas:
1. Nine Night - Jamaica and the Caribbean
In Jamaica, the period after someone’s death and before the burial is known as Nine Night. This tradition has origins in West African culture and is characterised by music and feasting.
Nine Night celebrations may not always involve gathering for each of the nine nights, particularly in diaspora communities like in the UK, but tradition tells that on the ninth night, the spirit of the dead person departs for the afterlife. This is a special moment during which to celebrate and bid farewell to the person who has died.
Celebrations may be held at home in someone’s yard, or in a church or community centre. “Traditions like Nine Night are an opportunity to gather, share stories and laugh together,” Nichola shared. “It's not that no one cries - but it is also a celebration. And often, because people turn up out of every corner of someone’s life, you get to know new people.”
2. Fantasy Coffins - Ghana
The Ga people of southern Ghana have popularised a tradition across Ghana of ‘fantasy coffins’ – vibrant and imaginative coffins that say something about the person who has died.
Fantasy coffin designs usually reflect something about the person’s occupation, such as a fishmonger being buried in a coffin that’s the shape of a fish, or something they loved, such as their football club.
Called ‘abebu adekai’ which literally translates to ‘proverb boxes’, creating fantasy coffins requires great artistry and they cost several times more than a regular coffin.
A row of fantasy coffins in Ghana. Source: Wikimedia Commons/René Edward Knupfer-Müller
3. Wake-keeping
Although the term has now often come to mean the celebration directly after a funeral, wake-keeping traditionally described the period before the funeral and originated as a way to accompany, or even guard, the body of the person who has died until their funeral. Wake-keeping is practiced in many African and Caribbean traditions, including in diaspora communities. Wake-keeping may involve prayers, singing, visiting with the bereaved and sharing memories of the person who has died.
4. Homegoing Celebrations – Southern United States
Within Black American communities, there is a tradition of holding ‘homegoing’ funerals, which celebrate the person returning home to God and their ancestors after death. The emphasis on the person returning ‘home’ brings a joyous and energetic tone to the event.
Homegoings are often grand affairs and draw upon both Christian tradition and non-Christian African spiritual and cultural traditions. Common components include gospel music, bright colours (sometimes guests are asked to wear a specific colour) and dancing.
“We can all take a lot of inspiration from the vibrancy, the colours and the music,” says Nichola. “Quite often at Black funerals you’ll see flowers arranged in the colours of the person’s home country flag, as a way of celebrating their culture.”
Homegoings also tell the story of the resilience of Black communities through the horrors of the translantic slave trade. During slavery, funerals were a rare moment for enslaved communities to come together, and played the role of affirming Black cultural identity. They retain this significance today.
Attendees at a Poppy's home going service
5. Ikwa Ozu, 'second burial' - Nigeria
The Igbo people of west Africa have a tradition of Ikwa Ozu, or a second symbolic burial celebration. In the Igbo world view, death is viewed more as a transition than an ending, and the person is not able to take up their place as an honoured ancestor unless this second burial ritual has taken place.
When the world-famous Igbo novelist Chinua Achebe died in America, his body was repatriated to Nigeria, and he had an Ikwa Ozu after being buried. His death attracted country-wide mourning and dignitaries travelled from around the world to attend his funeral.
6. Repatriation of the body to country of origin
It is common for people of African or Caribbean descent to be returned to their country or land of origin upon their death.
“Wanting to be buried at their ancestral burial grounds is about belonging and continuity,” researcher George Gumisiriza told Poppy’s in an earlier interview. “Funeral traditions and ritual are about transcendence to the afterlife. When someone is buried with proper rituals and the rites of passage, then they are more likely to go to where they are meant to be.”
Nichola shared that her family intends to take her father’s ashes back to Barbados, where he was born. “That feels really important. The process feels unfinished without doing that. For Caribbean and African people, there's a feeling of wanting to take someone home.”
7. Famadihana, 'turning of the bones' - Madagascar
In Madagascar, the Merina people practice Famadihana, the ‘turning of the bones’ a ceremony held every few years where families exhume ancestors’ remains, carefully rewrap them in fresh cloth and re-bury them.
This practice is an expression of the belief that the spirit of a person can only truly reach the afterlife when their bones have turned to dust, thus rejoining the earth.
The turning of the bones is often accompanied by music, dancing and celebration. It is also an opportunity to ask for ancestors’ blessings, or to share things with them that have happened in the family since their death.
“Some people may be surprised to hear about the turning of the bones tradition,” Nichola reflected. “But it’s important not to sensationalise practices like this; it’s something that is so personal and meaningful to that culture.”
8. Fèt Gede - Haiti
In the Haitian Vodou tradition, a lively festival called Fèt Gede happens every year around 1 and 2 November. It is a time of honouring the ancestors, along with the Gede, a family of lwa, or spirits, with a particular connection to death and fertility.
On Fèt Gede, people will gather in the streets and congregate in churches and cemeteries to dance, play drums, light candles, eat and drink. The Gede are believed to come and walk amongst festival-goers on this day. It is a celebration of life that incorporates merry-making and laughter, and has parallels with other celebrations like the Mexican tradition of Dia de los Muertos.
The musical line at a New Orleans Jazz Funeral. Source: Wikimedia Commons/Infrogmation
9. The Jazz funerals of New Orleans
Louisiana's bustling capital of New Orleans is world-famous for its musical scene. When a venerable member of the Black community dies, especially musicians, they are given a ‘jazz funeral’, a tradition which dates back to the 1800s. After the funeral service, the coffin is carried to the cemetery with the accompaniment of a full brass band and lots of dancing.
The first row in the procession features mourners, musicians and the funeral directors. The ‘second line’ comprises members of the public who join to pay their respects, contributing to the grandiosity of the celebration.
10. The early rise of African American funeral directors
While not a death or funeral tradition in itself, Black American funeral directors were among the first Black-owned businesses in the late 1800s and into the 20th century. This was significant given the long shadow of slavery and Jim Crow laws which continued to enforce racial segregation. During a time when Black entrepreneurship was heavily suppressed, Black funeral directors served Black families and placed a key role in their communities.
“This is an occupation we’ve been able to hold for a lot longer than other jobs, because others didn’t want to do the work,” says Nichola. “But those Black funeral directors were able to provide a safe space, a space just for us.”
Reflecting on her own funeral wishes, Nichola said, “I want music, and I want the people that are around to stop and know that a celebration of life is happening. I can be in a simple cardboard coffin, but I want music and I want people to dance.”
Wherever you are from, and whatever traditions and choices matter most, we can offer you the funeral you want and need. Explore more Funeral Choices and read Barbara’s story to find out what choices her husband Earle made to create a funeral as stylish as her. For more advice and ideas, visit Poppy’s blog.
