The most tremendous life event in Nigeria is a funeral. Funerals comes with either mourning or celebrations. It is the principal focus for families to gather and strengthen the community in remembrance of loved ones.
Nigerian funerals is determined by Muslim and Christian religions. They believe that when you die,God will judge your soul and you’ll be sent to either heaven or hell. Traditional Nigerians believe in reincarnation (Abiku). Nigerian’s belief system is based on the tribe. Nigeria is a home to over 250 ethnic groups with different belief system and cultural groups but to understand the Nigerian funeral,we will depend on three certain tribes. They are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. For the Hausas,they are mostly Muslims, Igbos;mostly Christians and Yoruba tribe members are Christians or Muslims. Among all these tribes traditional religion is also existent.
The Islamic religion views death as a transition to another state of existence known as the afterlife. The Muslims believe that where you go in the afterlife depends on how well you followed the Islamic religious codes during your life. In Islam,it is very important to note that burial takes place as quickly as possible after death,there is no ,viewing ,wake or visitation. Immediately after the death, the body is washed and covered with a cloth called “The kafan” then a prayer which is known as “Al janazah” is held. The body and all that are present are all turned to face Mecca,which is the holy center of islam. Funeral prayers are held by the Imam,the holy leader. After prayers, the body is taken to the burial site in a silent procession. They also allow each person at the burial site throw three handful of dirts into the grave.
The believe that there would be a physical resurrection of the body on judgement day by the Muslims allows for prohibition of cremation. Also autopsies and embalming are not allowed only if required by the law. Mourners at an Islamic funeral can express grief but only at a minimum range, loud wailing for example is not permitted,crying is. There is also a 40-day mourning period during which time ,foods and flowers are appreciated.
Widows observe an even longer time of mourning but regardless of the time frame, it’s important that the Islamic community visits and help in ways they can. Muslims do not believe in much ceremony after death.
Also, like the Islamic religion, the Christian religion also believes that death is a transition to the afterlife. Although, their customs are slightly different. Christian beliefs about death and funeral rites allows for embalming, so the casket may be open at a wake.If you have never been to an open viewing before, you may find it awkward because it can be difficult to see someone you knew now devoid of life. You can still attend but you may prefer not to go close the casket for a personal goodbye. Christian funerals takes place in church, crematorium or cemetery and will include prayers, a sermon, hymns and sometimes music. Additionally, a friend or family member may choose to deliver a eulogy as a tribute to the deceased. Wakes usually takes place in the same church as the funeral or at a funeral home which is when mourners come together to express their grief and offer condolences. Food and drink is often provided and the family of the deceased also receive flowers and gifts. Expressions of sorrow also lasts for a long time. Christians can also throw big parties for burial ceremonies celebrating the deceased flamboyantly especially if the fellow is old.
Moving on, traditional believers in Nigeria perform their funeral rites differently. It also differs from tribe to tribe. The Igbo tribe buries the deceased within two days. The body of the deceased is often scrubbed with camwood dye and placed on plantain leaves. After that,the “Ada” which is the oldest daughter of the dead takes part in ini uno akwa rite where she has to eat the favorite meal of the dead for a whole day in silence. This is due to the belief that it ensures that her father has constant access to nutrition in the afterlife. The wife or wives also wail for their dead husband and it is also common to completely shave their hair off as sign of grief.
Then the family spend months saving for the second burial known as “Ikwa ozu”. According to the Igbo traditions, funerals are also a rite of initiation of the dead to the group of their ancestors. In some cases,there is even a mock trial to determine who had killed the dead even if it’s no one’s fault. There are also customs like the wife of the dead drinking the water that was used to bathe the departed,sleeping with the dead and other practices. Also, it is a common belief that if a family does not organize an “ikwa ozu” they will be tormented by the dead.
The Yoruba tradition burial rites involves washing of the corpse with rum, or a decoration of fragrant herbs to make it fit for entry into the abode of his ancestors while it is Dressed in it’s best attires.The thumb and the toes is then tied together, and if the dead person is a male, the head is shaved and cautiously wrapped in a white piece of cotton and buried behind the house. But,if it is a female, the hair is plaited to make her look gorgeous while the nails are trimmed and the uncovered parts of the body are tarnished with a decoction which gives a reddish shade to the skin (Olajubu and Olupona;2003).
The deceased body is then wrapped in several native cloths, and positioned on a
mat at the door of the room. At this point a fowl which is called Adie-Irana (the fare fowl)is slain in order to make the road stress-free for the deceased journey into heaven. While the lying-in-state is going on, a yam is prepared and a share of it is positioned at the foot of the platform where the corpse is laid. This food is considered as food for the departed while the principal mourners, the widows and daughters of the deceased are isolated and exempted in the death-feast that follows (Ellis 1999). After that, the entering into a convenant with the deceased rite is performed which is to discontinue any relationship with the deceased and living. It is performed by a priest who slaughters the sacrificial victim, splits kolanuts and places certain items by the body. It is also important to note that the Yoruba funeral rites according to Drewal (1992) include seven days of ritual called “etutu”, which are performed to transfer the spirit of the dead to the land beyond.
To conclude, the different funeral rites in Nigeria shows the diversity in our culture. Although, some customs are barbaric and archaic, it’s still all for the good of the dead and its transition into the afterlife.
