Even though funeral ceremonies in the Luhya nation are never planned, they are always expected to go smooth with little room for error. Inside those ceremonies are secrete series of a whole rituals of syllabus
Any small error, the funeral directors will tell you that you will welcome back the ‘funeral spirits’.
At many times, the ceremonies and rituals are conducted according to the nature of death, Cause of Death, the age of the dead and so on.
Let us look into the details of the rituals and their hidden meaning, rather secretes of Luhya duneral ceremonies .
Good Send Off
Anyone who died out of a natural death, is such a lucky person, he or she will be given a maiden send off. The funeral arrangements are planned 5 days to burial, and the funeral net days could gross to a week or more depending on the value of the dead.
For kids, funerals are very simple, except more elevated cries, and for youths too, they are not as such complicated.
Let say you died at the hospital, your body remains cannot be brought in via the official gate, No way. a dead person always comes through a special get popularly know as ‘Eshibanga’ or rather panya route.
The reason behind it is to tell the dead straight clear that you are not friends, after all no dead is friend to a living. It is one of the many unwritten rules not to forget!
Two strong bulls are usually slaughtered for the old mzee while the rest get a bull, but kids never get bulls slaughtered.
There is a different case even if you died a natural death, but you were just found dead in the morning or whichever part of the day, the rule is that a bull has to be given out.
If dowry had not been paid for the girl, the first family could claim and bury the body, not until you finish the debt.
For a husband and a wife, there is a pragmatic drama in the dressing room before burial.
Did you know that Luhya’s have to sleep on dead bodies and make love to their dead partner before he or she is buried? Now you know. The reason behind is to appease the dead so that you can move on with the next marriage. Otherwise you in trouble!
