Death is a touchy subject for a lot of people. Maybe it’s because you begin thinking of your own mortality, but a simpler reason is that many of us don’t completely understand death. To help those left behind to cope with the grief and sadness of losing a loved one, the family may plan to hold a funeral service.
A funeral is a ceremony that brings together the body of a deceased person and the people who cared about them in life. In the United States, Americans often choose traditional burial or cremation, with or without a religious component, while other cultures follow beliefs and practices of their own. On a similar note, no matter what part of the world you are from, funerals are a time to remember and respect those who have passed on by honoring them through rituals, prayer, monuments and more.
Below, an established etching service in Walterboro, SC shares some fascinating information about funeral ceremonies and traditions from across the globe. Perhaps some of these ideas will help you when planning a service of your own.
Jazz funerals in New Orleans
In New Orleans, Louisiana, honoring someone who has died comes off as a balance between grief and joy. These New Orleans jazz funerals are processions that show a mix of West African, French and African-American traditions. In a unique fashion, mourners are led through the streets of New Orleans by a jazz marching band. The band tends to play sorrowful tunes at first before switching to upbeat music and joyful yet emotional dancing once the body has been buried.
Death traditions in the Philippines
Groups in the Philippines have unique funeral practices. For example, it’s tradition for the Benguet of Northwestern Philippines to blindfold their deceased loved ones and place the body next to the main entrance of the house. The Tinguian dress their dead relatives in their best clothes, set them in a sitting position on a chair and place a lit cigarette between their lips. Near Manila, the Caviteno bury their dead in a hollowed out tree trunk, and anyone who becomes ill is encouraged to select the tree they wish to eventually be entombed in. And up north, the Apayo bury their dead under the kitchen!
Fantasy coffins in Ghana
Fantasy coffins are intriguing to cultures outside of Ghana as well as within their own cultural group. Fantasy coffins are coffins constructed, detailed and painted to represent a person’s work or a passion they had in life—for example, a giant fish for a fisherman, an airplane for a pilot or a large vegetable for a farmer. As beautiful, unique and sometimes outrageous looking as these coffins are, people in Ghana do get buried in them.
If you are searching for a granite etching service in Walterboro, SC to honor your loved one, look no further than Steedley Monument Works. We are proud to offer our services for a range of products, including cremation urns, bronze plaques, statues, granite tombstones, mausoleums and more. Contact us today.