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Ghana Elaborate Funerals And Decorative Funeral Coffins

Ghana Entertainment Funerals

In Ghana, the most significant cost you are going to incur in your life is not going to be your wedding, it is going to be your funeral.

Ghana funerals are big affairs that can last many hours and cost thousands of dollars.

Ghana Elaborate Funerals And Decorative Funeral Coffins

Explore and Understand Africa Through Her Food and Culture

10-9-2017

Ghana, Africa where funerals are world-renowned for their size and extravagance.

Ghana Funeral

Ghana population is comprised of 71 percent Christian, funerals usually begin with religious blessings, rituals, ceremonies, and words of remembrance, but that is just the beginning. 

Funerals in Ghana are very much a social event attended by a large number of mourners, which could reach hundreds. When death comes, it concerns everybody in the Ghanaian community and a well-attended funeral carries great social prestige and the bigger the party, the better. 

  Ghana coffins can reflect occupations, tribal symbols, or just what the deceased enjoyed most in life.

Funeral Money for Ghanaians

Ghanaians may spend as much money on funerals as on weddings, sometimes even more. It is believed that the dead person leaves the physical world for the spiritual world. Therefore, when a person dies, the Ghanaians believe that the departed is making a journey to the next world, where he will live as an ancestor. 

An average funeral should cost between $6,000 - $20,000. That includes flamboyant coffin-carrying dancers, billboards, online advertisements and flyers that announce funeral arrangements and placed in strategic spots for everybody to see; all are invited whether they knew the dearly departed. 

The families of the dead are expected to provide food, drinks, music, and dance in excess. Most funerals are held on the weekends, with mourners, usually dressed in black or black and red traditional funeral clothing. There may or may not be a body present or a clergyman but disc jockeys, photographers, videographers, bartenders and security guards are crucial for a successful funeral. Coffins are a statement in Ghana

Coffins are a statement in Ghana

Coffins can reflect occupations, tribal symbols, or just what the deceased enjoyed most in life. A design coffin is best not hidden inside a hearse, but carried above heads or driven down Ghana’s streets. They are usually brightly colored and elaborate. They may have fanciful shapes that resemble the dead's favorite objects or represent their profession. 

Thus, a mechanic may have a coffin shaped like a wrench or a fish for fishermen. There are also caskets shaped like Coca-Cola bottles, cocoa pods, pineapples, and airplanes. To Ghana, funerals are a celebration and one famous coffin maker is Eric Adjetey Anang is from Teshie, a suburb of the city of Accra who owns the Kane Kwei Carpentry Workshop in Ghana. Anang’s striking, elaborate design coffins can be almost anything imagined.

Did you know?

Ghana population is young with approximately 57 percent of the population under the age of 25. Religions in Ghana from 2010 estimates are Christian 71.2 percent, Muslim 17.6 percent, traditional 5.2 percent, other 0.8 percent, and unknown 5.2 percent.

Ghanaians may spend as much money on funerals as on weddings, sometimes even more. 

Chicken casket, Coffins are a statement in Ghana Africa


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African Gourmet FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is The African Gourmet blog about?

The African Gourmet explores African food, history, and culture through recipes, folktales, and proverbs written for curious readers worldwide.

Who writes The African Gourmet?

The blog is written and curated by Ivy, a lifelong historian and storyteller who highlights Africa’s culinary and cultural richness.

How can I find African recipes on this site?

Use the “African Recipes” category or explore posts like African Recipes for regional dishes and ingredients.

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Explore our African Proverbs and African Folktales sections for timeless wisdom and stories.

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