Weird Funeral Events Around the World
Some people don’t want their funeral to be a sombre event and so ensure that some weird funeral events happen.
Take for instance Miriam Banks who was the life of any party. When she died, her daughters believed that their mother would love the thought that they honour her memory in a party funeral.
Instead of lying in a coffin, the mother sat at a table with a cigarette in her hand with beer and whisky on the table. Spinning disco balls and loud music completed the scene. Just one of many weird funeral events around the world.
Weird and Almost Obscene Funeral Behaviour
There are some people who reckon that as you only die once, the people left behind must have a good time at the funeral. In Taiwan, it is not uncommon to find strippers at a funeral. These are to appease the wandering spirits.
They also liven up what could have been a sombre occasion. Instead of stripping down nude, they might jump around on the caskets and go so far as to give mourners lap dances.
Some families want joviality but on a more serious note. They order female marching bands, emulating the jazz funerals that are so popular in New Orleans. The girls wear short mini-skirts and go-go boots.
The actor, Bela Lugosi, famous for his Count Dracula roles died of a heart attack in 1956. His son and third wife buried him in his Dracula cape that he used to act in.
Some go to further extremes like George Swanson. His widow drove to the cemetery with his remains in the sports car. In the tape deck was an Engelbert Humperdinck tape, and even though the new car had a mere 27,000 miles on the odometer, it went with George Swanson to the grave.
The family of the late James Henry Smith of the Pittsburgh Steelers placed his body in his favourite reclining chair. He had the remote control placed in his hand with beer and cigarettes at his side, enabling him to watch the Steelers playing on TV.
Weird Funeral Events – Sad Clowns or Glad Clowns
There may well be plenty of raucous behaviour, but often people are trying to cover up their deep despair. There are some families living in Europe who call in reinforcements to liven up the funeral scene with clowns. These are funeral clowns. These clowns produce a bag of tricks from ballooned animals to squirting flowers. That’s all in the name of lightening up the mood.
There is a Dutch clown who actually breaks wind during the sombre parts of the funeral. For some people this is their idea of taking away the sadness of a funeral. To others it is just another among many weird funeral events worldwide.
In some parts of Madagascar, tradition rules. At the Malagasy Famadihana traditional event, there is regular un-burying of the dead. The funeral garb of the corpses are changed and they get to accompany their living family members around the village.
After this event, the corpses are then wrapped in clean blankets and returned to their place of rest until the next traditional family reunion. That’s among the most bizarre of weird funeral events in the world.
Weird Funeral Events – You Choose
These are just some of the weird funeral events and traditions that some people believe is appropriate for their loved ones. You can choose to have the funeral you want, but if these weird goodbye funerals are not up your street, make sure you let your family know the type of funeral you would expect one day. Get it in writing on your Funeral policy.
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All info was correct at time of publishing