Different Funeral Traditions from Around the Globe

You may think funerals are very traditional affairs. However, no two funerals are the same, especially when you take a look at all of the traditions found in different cultures and religions from around the world.

Professional Chinese and Taiwanese Mourners

In China and Taiwan some families choose to hire people to attend funerals to act as mourners to highlight how popular and loved the deceased was. These professional mourners can cry convincingly and can talk confidently about the deceased and their life, as if they actually knew them when they were alive, once they have been briefed.

New Orleans Jazz Funerals

New Orleans, Louisiana, is filled with such rich culture and the jazz funerals that take place there are no different. New Orleans jazz funerals mix the tradition and formal nature of a stereotypical European funeral with the more celebratory traditions that occur in Africa. While marching to the funeral itself, you can expect a jazz band to be playing slow dirges eventually progressing to a much more upbeat tune after the funeral itself has ended and the life is being celebrated.

Ashes Jewellery in Korea

In Korea they have quite the alternative to the traditional way of presenting ashes in an urn following a cremation. You can have the ashes of the deceased cleaned, refined and solidified into crystals before they can then be turned into shiny, colourful beads to be a part of a sentimental piece of jewellery. While ashes are turned into jewellery in Korea they aren’t typically worn, they are usually produced for ornamental purposes to be displayed in a a glass bottle or container.

Traditional European Funerals

While many countries in Europe will each have their own little cultural differences, in Sweden they take a long time to bury the body, many follow a similar pattern. It’s very common to use a service such as Beyond to help with the many aspects of a funeral from finding a funeral director to arranging finance and even settling an estate. This allows for a smooth and respectful funeral that everyone is pleased and satisfied with everything including everything from the choosing of the coffin to the actual ceremony on the day right up to the after-life celebration and any related events following that.