Whether at a small church, or one that seats thousands, Black funerals - or homegoing celebrations - are expressions of mourning that honor Black life, love, and community. Funeral rituals are among the oldest traditions in African American culture, since enslaved people were typically able to mourn as they chose, unlike most other areas of their life. A homegoing is a type of Christian funeral that is traditional in the Black community in America, celebrating a person’s return to their heavenly home. Many Black funerals are celebrated as a final liberation and as a time for the community to come together.
During the antebellum period, enslaved Africans were prohibited from performing funerals and traditional rituals, for fear that they would conspire to rebel. However, even in the face of great loss and cultural separation death, enslaved Africans and their descendants preserved sacred ancestral practices and infused them with new traditions.
Beliefs and Significance
Many Black people consider death as a release from a life of suffering and an opportunity for the soul to return to eternal glory with God or in heaven. As such, while the loss of a loved one is painful, their passing is often seen as a joyful occasion. This is marked by an exuberant celebration of life and God’s glory. A Homegoing, like its name implies, is the symbolic return of the human spirit back to its heavenly home, invoking the Christian idea of God as Father and so therefore going back home/to heaven to be with one’s Father/Creator of life.
Another key element of homegoings is the importance of family and community coming together for support, which is seen as important in the bereaved’s healing process. Full attendance is strongly encouraged, and family, friends, and even distant acquaintances travel from near and far to participate in the celebration.
Key Elements of Homegoing Celebrations
Although Black folks in the United States are diverse in their religious beliefs, socioeconomic status, geographic regions, and family traditions, when it comes to a homegoing service, many traditions remain consistent.
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1. Community Gathering
Homegoing celebrations are often quite large, with family members, close friends, and even acquaintances coming from far and wide to attend services. Even distant or feuding family members are expected to put up a temporary truce to attend the homegoing and honor the life of a lost loved one. Many Black families hold services on Saturdays to allow as many people as possible to attend. It is typical for a death in Africa to bring the whole community - family, friends, fellow church goers, and strangers alike - together to participate in the entire funeral process, from pre-burial ceremonies to after-funeral bereavement rituals. The community aids the grieving family with their basic needs - cooking and baking, assisting with buying groceries, and other errands - providing the grieving family space to mourn. A tent is raised on the homestead of the grieving family, and here the community gathers for prayer and grief circles in the days preceding the funeral.
2. Elaborate Celebrations
As the name implies, a homegoing is the symbolic return of the human spirit back to its heavenly home. Homegoing are deliberately and meticulously elaborate celebrations of the deceased’s life, including music, dancing, flashy hats, and ornate decorations. These traditions are rooted in the African belief that death is a continuum of existence, rather than an end. These rituals begin by preparing the homestead of the bereaved family, including turning all pictures of their loved one to face the wall and smearing ashes on the windows to prevent the deceased from viewing themselves as their body is cleansed and prepared for burial. This is followed by body-removing rituals, so as to confuse the dead, who may want to find their way back to their body. These rituals include taking the body through a hole in the wall, removing the body feet-first, and taking a zig-zag path to the burial site.
3. Extravagant Caskets
Most families spare no expense for a homegoing service, commonly opting for an upscale casket for their loved one. Despite the hefty price tag of most funeral services, the overall cost of a homegoing is not often viewed negatively. African funeral ceremonies are akin to homegoing’s, in that extravagance is imperative to a “right” burial - so much so, that one business in Ghana has made something quite remarkable out of it. These fantasy coffins are designed to reflect the hobbies, and even jobs of the deceased, allowing loved ones to be buried in a casket that represents their passions and livelihoods.
4. Music and Expression
Upon arrival, homegoing guests are met by the church choir as they sing hymns about God, hope, and the healing strength of the Lord. The hymns and gospels, accompanied by the organ and a cadence of drums, echo through church halls, filling the guests with spirit and moving them through song. Music plays an integral part in setting the tone for a homegoing and provides those in attendance the space to freely express their emotions. In African countries, this song and dance is prominent at burial ceremonies in the form of the ring shout - a conjure-rooted practice characterized by dancing in a circle, chorus singing, hand clapping, and percussion. Used by many enslaved communities in the antebellum south, the ring shout was considered a sacred dance and song, often in the form of a call-and-response that allowed Black folks to express themselves in safety and brought joy in the face of grief to those who participated. The ring shout is believed to allow folks to embody intimacy with their ancestors. The hymns, gospel songs and the designated solos frame the Homegoing encouraging public displays of grief.
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5. The Repast
After the homegoing service and burial of a loved one, family and friends gather once again to find joy in the act of breaking bread and celebrating Black life at the repast - an occasion that focuses on food and fellowship and signifies the intimately intersected feelings of melancholy and life anew without the physical presence of their loved one. Traditionally, the food is prepared by the home church as a gift to the bereaved. The repast offers a mourning community nourishment and space to repair the mind, body, and soul while immersed in an atmosphere of love and support. A post-funeral meal is also customary in African funeral traditions. A cleansing ritual is typically practiced before entering the home for the feast. Some traditions include cutting pieces of aloe to be placed in the cleansing water, with the belief that it can remove bad luck. Often, community churches are involved in this ritual, using sprinkles of holy water to cleanse guests of their impurities.
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Traditions and Customs
Homegoings share a lot in common with other Christian services and funerals, but they have various unique elements. They typically begin with a wake or visitation, where family and friends gather, pay their respects to the deceased, and offer condolences to the family before the funeral service.
Then a funeral procession usually takes place from the family home to the church. Family members commonly arrive at the funeral in limousines or upscale vehicles, adding a sense of dignity and pride to the occasion.
The funeral, usually set in a church, is an elaborate service, with music playing a significant role. Guests join in with gospel songs and hymns, singing, clapping, and raising their hands in worship. An open casket is common, showcasing the deceased in fine attire and decorated with flower arrangements and luxurious fabrics. Some Black funerals may follow a dress code, where the family requests guests to wear a specific color that is also reflected in the decor.
The funeral service is led by a pastor and includes eulogies from family, friends, acquaintances, and the pastor honoring the deceased and the life they led. The service is charged with a wide range of emotions, from sorrow and joy, with crying and dancing. The uninhibited expression of emotions is viewed as a healing and liberating experience. At the end of the funeral and after a viewing, the casket is ceremoniously closed.
Following the funeral comes another joyous procession from the church to the cemetery, where family and friends lead their loved one to their final resting place with music and celebration. The burial, in contrast, is a more somber event, featuring additional eulogies and songs. Although cremation is becoming more popular nowadays, the significance of burial in African American culture has prevented its widespread adoption.
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After the burial, family and friends often reconvene at their loved one’s home or the funeral home for a joyful repast. This festive meal, the last event in a chain of remembrance ceremonies, symbolizes a return to normal life, celebrated collectively by all those who shared a love for the deceased.
The Impact of the Pandemic and Alternative Practices
The Coronavirus-19 pandemic has changed every aspect of American life, even the ways that we mourn and express our grief. These include having online funeral services to allow friends and family to attend these celebrations of life while observing the medical guidelines. Yet, virtual hugs and air kisses can only go so far in providing much-needed affection when the circle of life has been broken, and we are confronted with the aching pain of death. Perhaps past African American funeral and mourning customs can offer some guidance and relief during these uncertain times.
For several reasons, during the early part of the twentieth century, some African Americans in South Carolina buried their loved ones immediately and had formal funerals during a later time. Colloquially known as pre-sermons, these celebrations of life were held weeks or even months after the burial. Given the current pandemic that we are facing, delaying celebrations of life until it is safe for many to gather and share their communal mourning may be the safest and best way to honor the deceased and protect the living.
Black-Owned Funeral Homes
Black owned and operated funeral homes have a rich heritage and are as much cultural institutions as they are businesses. Prior to the Civil War, death was more of a family experience, as the body of the deceased was prepared and displayed in the family home.
The death services industry developed during the Civil War when the bodies of soldiers needed to be embalmed for transportation for burial, and this service moved from a trade to a professional business. Many within the industry view the business as a spiritual calling and are honored to have the privilege of counseling and helping people at a difficult time in their lives.
Funeral service workers organize and manage the details of a ceremony honoring a deceased person, and their duties include: offering counsel and comfort to families; providing information on funeral service options; and filing death certificates and other legal documents. African American funeral directors maintain burial traditions as home-going or celebration of life ceremonies and honor a distinctive way of grieving. This often includes a level of theater and pageantry.
