When a person dies, their body is taken to the mortuary to be imbalmed and put on ice (literally - the complete description is a little morbid). Or they are put in the "refrigerator" to wait for the funeral - which is usually anywhere from a month to a year later! (If you are a long robed friend then the burial is the day they die, or the day after, and then a memorial is held later.) Once enough money is saved for the funeral, then they have it.
The spouse always wears black and is "in mourning" for at least a year. During that time, most do not work - but are provided for by family and friends. There is no such thing as life insurance here. After the year, they wear white for a year or two. If this protocol is not followed, they are criticized by the community. If the surviving spouse is a man, he can re-marry immediately after the death; if a woman, she must wait at least a year - in case she is with "seed". If the person that died is young, or considered to be taken before "their time", people will wear red as a sign of extreme sorrow. Many superstitious people also pay the Juju Priest to "determine" who killed the person by performing rituals on the body, so a proper curse can be applied to the killer.
Funerals are a huge part of social life here, and therefore BIG business! We've seen several casket shops along the roadsides with very unique shapes, sizes, colors, designs and materials of caskets ie: chickens, rockets, bibles etc.
The family places billboards on the street corners and glue large posters to every feasible surface, announcing the death of the person with details regarding the funeral. (Billy Johnson's funeral poster is pictured below but the following funeral pics aren't his.) The family pays the expenses for other family members to come to the funeral and stay as long as they want.
On Friday, the body is "laid in state" at the person's house, for viewers. They are displayed in the casket if there is room for it in the house, or on the bed if there isn't and the casket it proped up in the corner for display.
On Saturday morning, they carry the casket to the church they attend, for the funeral. This person's house was at least 1/2 mile away. The men carrying it were drenched in sweat by the time they got to the church. There is always a huge procession and sometimes a band. Everyone wears black, red and brown (men in our church still wear a white shirt and tie and were found here carrying the casket for the family - no honorary pall bearers here).
The funeral service is done at the church and varies, depending on the church. The one we went to was pretty normal, except for a couple of wailing women. Then the casket is taken for burial. This one was placed in a flat bed truck and everyone just piled on top.
We followed the truck, and gasped when the tail gate fell off, along with several people - because there were so many people on it!
There really aren't many defined cemetaries here, you see graves everywhere along the road. You must have permission from the chief to bury in your chosen place. There was a small foot trail off the side of the road, and corn was growing where they buried this one. Many of the wealthier families have headstones with a stone slab the size of the casket which makes it easier to find and a little harder for the jungle to grow over it.
Although this casket was placed in a vault of sorts, it was covered with dirt - no wonder there were sunken spots around - just like Idaho City Cemetary.
Immediately after the burial, the party begins - and everyone is invited. There are several parties to choose from every weekend, just wear black and red or brown and bring cash. Pop-up tents and plastic chairs mark the spot! There is always local home brew, food, loud music and a large "donation" table. The party lasts all day, all night and all day on Sunday too. The bigger the party, the more donations received - sometimes its a money maker.
On Sunday the party continues all day, except people wear "thanksgiving" colors of black and white.
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