FUNERAL: 24 hours of goosebumps

Let me tell you about my 12 hours of goosebumps! This is a story I always wanted to share but just never found the time to do so. 

A couple of weeks back Evelyn and I were invited by a friend to the funeral of his father -  to one of the biggest funerals of the year. It was announced on the radio and even television. Sir Patrick Dery an important figure for the Upper West, died a few months ago and was now to be buried. 

Thousands of people came to Nandom, the village where he resided. People did not come to mourn his death. Not at all! They came to celebrate his life! This man died old. In Ghana this is a privilege and there are no words that describe this festival. The family did a great job. 

As the tradition asks, the body was preserved and put 2 meters high on a kind of throne in his most beautiful traditional wear. The whole day and the whole night groups of traditional dancers came from all the villages to pay their tribute to this man by dancing in front of his body. The show was unbelievable. From far one would hear the deep roaring sound of drums coming closer. It was a group of dancers making their way to the "throne". When the drums of one group were softening, the next group could already be heard, approaching from far away. Those traditional groups were all people that were friends of Patrick Dery and for this special day made a performance. Usually they are probably farmers, today they were war dancers!   Also single people would dance in front of the body, scream out in joy and celebrate. So much joy and emotion as I have never ever experienced before. 

Another part of the tradition is that the family designs a funeral cloth that carries the face and age of the decedent. This way everybody will know who belongs to the family and who is friends and visitor. 

The next day the Bishop came for the official ceremony. The body has been put into the coffin and placed in the middle of the enormous field where people had been celebrating the last 24 hours. Around the coffin table and chairs were arranged for the priests and the Bishop. Everybody was seated properly underneath "tents" in a square surrounding the central scene with the Bishop. Some dancers were still around. Before the Bishop started the crowd was startled by a shocking traditional ceremony. One of the group of war dancers was making a last round and was holding an alive dog. They cut the throat and drank the blood. Even the people sitting next to me were shocked and doubted that deceased would have appreciated this gesture very much. 
Then the ceremony started and we rushed away to get home early and not get stuck in the dust from all the other cars making their way home. We stopped at the family house to say goodbye and I am deeply thankful that I was allowed to be part of this celebration.

Road to Nandom

Family wearing the funeral cloth, with the print of the decedent

Funeral Cloth

War dancers performing....special performance of people who have regular lives on other days =)

war dancers dancing as a last honor to the deceased

A woman dancing to the drums to pay her last respects to Sir Patrick Dery

another group of war dancers

Ghanaian xylophone - traditional church and funeral instrument! awesome sound