How the World Celebrates a Life

Here in the UK, we tend to say goodbye quietly. A short service, a cup of tea, a sandwich, and home. But travel a little further afield and you'll find cultures that do things very differently: with music, dancing, colour, food and the whole community turning out to celebrate.

We've already explored Mexico's Day of the Dead, with its marigolds, sugar skulls and family altars. So this time, we're taking a trip around the world to five more traditions that celebrate death, and life, in a way that's very close to our hearts.

Ireland: the Irish wake

The Irish wake is one of the best-loved farewells in the world. Traditionally, the person who has died is laid out at home, often in the front room, and for a night or two the door is open to anyone who wants to pay their respects. Neighbours, friends, distant cousins and old workmates all call in. There's tea, sandwiches and usually something stronger, and the house fills with stories, laughter, music and the song.

It's sad, of course. But it's also warm, noisy and full of life. A wake is the community's way of wrapping its arms around a family.

If you’ve been to an Irish wake, then you will never forget it. But, if you haven’t attended one, yet then this may surprise you. 

• The person is never left alone. Someone always sits with them through the night, which is one reason the wake can go on into the early hours.

• Old customs still linger. In some homes, the clocks are stopped at the time of death, mirrors are covered and a window is opened to let the soul go free.

• Keening was once part of it. Women would gather to sing a traditional lament called caoineadh, part song, part cry, telling the story of the person's life.

• Wakes used to have games. In years gone by, lively wake games, pranks and even matchmaking were all part of the night.

• There was even an "American wake". During the 19th century, when so many Irish people emigrated, families held a wake-style farewell party for those leaving, knowing they might never see them again.

  
  

The Irish wake proves that grief and laughter belong together. It's open to everyone, it's full of stories, and it puts the person, and the people who loved them, right at the centre. Pour a drink, pull up a chair and tell us about them. That's exactly the spirit we bring to every celebration.

Sri Lanka: a whole village comes together

In Sri Lanka, funeral customs vary between Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and Muslim families, but in Buddhist tradition, one thing stands out: nobody grieves alone. When someone dies, the whole community gathers at the family home, and white flags and banners appear along the roads to let everyone know.

Mourners dress in white, monks lead chants and blessings, and in one beautiful ritual, the pansakula, close family pour water from a small jug into a cup until it overflows, a symbol of good deeds and merit flowing to the person who has died. After the cremation, there's an almsgiving, where food is offered to the monks and shared with everyone who has come.

Key elements

• White, not black, is the colour of mourning. Families, guests and even the home are dressed in white, a symbol of purity and virtue.

• The whole village shows up. This is sometimes called a mala gama, meaning the whole village gathers at the house.

• The family doesn't cook. In many areas, no food is cooked in the home of the person who has died, so neighbours and friends bring meals for the family and every visitor.

• Remembering doesn't stop at the funeral. Families hold almsgivings and ceremonies seven days after the death, again at three months, and then every year, so the person is remembered and honoured long after the goodbye.

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Sri Lankan traditions remind us that remembering someone isn't a single day. It's something you return to, again and again, with the people you love. We love the idea of a community that rallies round, feeds the family and keeps coming back to celebrate the person months and years later.

Ghana: dancing pallbearers and fantasy coffins

In Ghana, a funeral is one of the biggest social events in a family's life, often bigger than a wedding. Funerals are usually held on Saturdays, and they're a true celebration, with food, drink, drumming, singing and dancing that can carry on long into the night. Guests often wear red and black, and for someone who lived a long, full life, white may be worn to celebrate it.

The Ga people of the Greater Accra region have taken it a step further, with their famous fantasy coffins: hand-carved, brightly painted coffins shaped like anything that sums up the person. A fish for a fisherman. A cocoa pod for a farmer. A Mercedes, a bottle of their favourite drink, a lion, a shoe.

Key elements

• The coffins are called "receptacles of proverbs". In the Ga language, they're known as abebuu adekai, because many of the shapes carry a meaning or proverb about the person.

• They started in the 1950s. According to the most famous story, carpenter Seth Kane Kwei made a palanquin shaped like a cocoa pod for a local chief, who died before he could use it, so he was buried in it instead. His workshop in Teshie is still making them today, now run by his grandson.

• They're now in museums around the world. These coffins have become a celebrated art form, but in Ghana, each one is still made to be used, and seen only on the day of the burial.

• The dancing pallbearers went viral. Ghana's pallbearers, who dance and spin with the coffin on their shoulders, became an internet sensation in 2020 as the "coffin dance" meme. For families, though, it's a joyful, dignified send-off.

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Ghana treats a funeral as the celebration of a lifetime, which is exactly what we believe it should be. A coffin shaped like someone's passion, a dance that lifts everyone's spirits, a party the whole family plans and saves for: it's personal, it's bold and it's full of joy.

USA: the New Orleans jazz funeral

In New Orleans, a funeral comes with a brass band. Known as a jazz funeral, the procession begins with the band playing slow, mournful hymns as family and friends walk from the service towards the cemetery.

Then comes the moment everyone waits for. Once the person has been laid to rest, or "cut loose", the music changes. The drums kick in, the trumpets lift, and the band breaks into joyful, upbeat jazz, with tunes like "When the Saints Go Marching In". Mourners start to dance, and the procession becomes a street party.

Key elements

• Anyone can join in. The crowd that follows the band and dances through the streets is known as the "second line", and passers-by are welcome to join.

• Umbrellas and handkerchiefs are part of the dance. Second liners twirl decorated parasols and wave hankies in the air as they move.

• The roots run deep. Jazz funerals grew from a blend of West African, Caribbean and Creole traditions, and from the city's benevolent societies and social clubs, which helped members pay for a dignified send-off.

• It's a journey from sorrow to joy. The switch from slow hymns to celebratory music marks the move from grieving the loss to celebrating the life.

  
  

The jazz funeral captures everything we believe in: honour the sadness, then celebrate the life with everything you've got. Music, movement and a whole city dancing in someone's honour. If that isn't a last hoorah, we don't know what is.

Bali: Ngaben, the cremation celebration

On the Indonesian island of Bali, the Hindu cremation ceremony, Ngaben, is a vibrant, colourful festival. Balinese Hindus believe that cremation frees the soul so it can move on to its next life, so the day is seen as a joyful release rather than an ending.

The body is carried through the streets in a towering, ornately decorated structure, accompanied by gamelan music and a huge procession of family and villagers. At the cremation ground, it's placed inside a beautifully crafted sarcophagus, often shaped like a bull, and the whole thing is set alight.

Key elements

• Tears are gently discouraged. It's believed that too much crying can hold the soul back, so families try to keep the mood calm and celebratory.

• The procession spins at crossroads. The bearers turn the tower round and round at junctions to confuse the spirit, so it can't find its way back home and is free to move on.

• Families may wait years. A Ngaben is a big, costly event, so the person may be temporarily buried until the family can afford it, and villages often hold shared cremations to spread the cost.

• Everyone helps. Building the towers and sarcophagi can take weeks, and the whole community pitches in.

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Ngaben shows how a farewell can be both deeply spiritual and utterly beautiful. We love the creativity, the music, the community effort and the belief that saying goodbye can be a moment of release and joy. It's a reminder that there's no rush, too: some of the most meaningful celebrations are the ones you take time to plan.

What can we learn?

Across the world, the details are wonderfully different. But the most joyful traditions share a few things in common:

• Community. Nobody grieves alone. Everyone turns up, brings food and lends a hand.

• Music, food and stories. The things that brought people together in life bring them together in loss.

• Personality. Whether it's a fish-shaped coffin or a favourite hymn, the day reflects the person.

• Joy alongside sorrow. Tears and laughter aren't opposites. They belong together.

• Remembering, again and again. Celebrating a life doesn't have to end with one day.

  
  

At The Last Hoorah, we love borrowing a little inspiration from around the world to help families across Surrey create celebrations that are truly personal. Whether it's a second-line-style procession, a wake full of stories, or a bright and colourful nod to their heritage, get in touch for a gentle, no-pressure chat about how we can help you celebrate your loved one.