Pretentious Funerals Take you to an Early Grave

The reason why people spend so much on pretentious funerals when they are poor is an ongoing puzzle. It would appear as though people want to appear to be doing well, borrowing loads of money for a pretentiously rich funeral. Not being able to pay the money back and being hounded by creditors is a quick path to stress, illness and an early grave.

Erik Bähre, assistant professor at the Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology at the University of Leyden has even gone to the trouble of conducting studies in the squatter settlements and townships of Cape Town to try and find answers. The large expenditure on pretentious funerals isn’t traditional, and in fact among the Xhosa people, funerals were always modest.

Pretentious Funerals – Loans to Pay for Products You Can’t Afford

It is more recently that funerals have become so excessive, with many people saying that there is nothing they can do about it. They take out loans to buy a casket, hire tents and lighting for vigils, food, sound systems, air -conditioned buses and minivans to shuttle mourners around and ensure they get to the important funeral feast. There is a high price to pay for crime in South Africa too, and sometimes cement mixers are hire so that cement is thrown in to seal the coffin solidly into the ground to provide extra protection from grave robbers.

Going into debt in order to provide a good funeral isn’t something that its going to change soon. People are worried about their reputation and what the neighbours and community will say if the funeral is cheap. The bereaved family is concerned about malicious gossip which spreads the news that they are stingy and irresponsible for not planning for an expensive funeral.

Space is becoming a problem too and in some cemeteries the cost of a piece of ground is exorbitant. With Black populations burgeoning, overcrowding is inevitable and the price for burial sites sky- rockets. It is not surprising that more Black people are starting to look at cremation as a more affordable option.

Pretentious Funerals – Personalised Funerals for those who Have the Money

Funeral trends are changing and quickly moving away from everything traditional. People are wanting personalised services. Those with money are willing to pay for pricey products that will make death more bearable and not the sombre, gray event it has always been.

Fourways Memorial Park is an exclusive private memorial park, thought to be a heavenly, idyllic resting place if you can afford it. It isn’t like other municipal cemeteries, allowing you to secure a burial site for you and your family. They provide a comprehensive funeral service such as chapel, lapa for refreshments, catering, burial and cremation options and secure cemetery grounds. An average funeral here costs in the region of R45 000.

Going Green

Natural burial options are becoming more popular as people become better informed about the critical need to stop their relentless damage to the earth. Green burials are kinder to the environment and they are cheaper than traditional burials. A person is buried in a container made from banana leaves, wood or bamboo and there are no pieces of metal, plastics or varnishes used. They also take place without embalming.

Get Real

What does it mean for people in South Africa trying to keep up with the Joneses or the Dlamini’s? It means that having a huge funeral when you can’t afford it so that you appear successful takes you down a road of poverty, stress and unhappiness.

Look at Hippo, a funeral plan comparison site. Think about taking out an affordable funeral policy so that when your next of kin dies, you have the finances available to give your deceased a decent funeral. Best of all, after the funeral is over, you won’t have to start fretting about all the debt you’ve incurred and how on earth you’re going to pay it back.

Complete and send the form to get a personal funeral cover quote sent to your inbox

All info was correct at time of publishing