Sunday, June 7, 2009

funerals

I went to a funeral yesterady. Which meant - crowds of people, dancing, singing and drumming like I have never seen before, a big celebretion of live, caused by a death,
The guy who was burried died alsomst 2 months ago - they keep the dead in the morgue for a while before, sometime as long as year before they finad a good day for a funeral. Weeknds are good choice.
When i asked Paul what the guy died form, he said he didn't know.
I hear that often - people not knowing the cause of death, even for relatives.
Oh, he just fell ill - they say.
EVERYONE I talked to, not MOST of the people, not some, mot 90 percent or even 99 percent, EVERYONE I talk to had someone in the family died prematurely.
Some car accidents, but more from health realetd issues.
M's mopther died from an ear infection. Hello, EAR INFECTION.
I told him that was curable. He said he knew it, but they didn't catch in time.
She fell in, and within 48 hours she was dead.
His father died form tibeculosys.
They couln't affird the treatment or a vaccine.
My favourite little studen's brither died in a car accident last year.
His eyes not even as much as water and his voice doesn't tremble whern talking about it.
Brave child. Clever and good spitrited. When older boys tease him, he just keeps quiet and does his thing. I protected him. He walked back home with me and told me he'd followme everywhere.
Today I spent good half hour watching him, his mother and little sister sing, cook and clean togehethger.
The little girl posed for me later and corrected my way of washing my clothes. She doesn't speak english. But we manage just fine.

Back to funeral- I was happy to see a few gay man and noone picking on them.
I wondered about that.
BTW - gorgeous people and most are so well built, as if they train all day. Men and women. Lean, mascular. Those who live long - live veeeery long. 105, and still doing stuff in the house and garden.

So duringthe funeral, the dead men is seated in a tent, dressed pretty and people dance around him and fan him. It's a hot day after all.
At the end of the festivites (cca 5PM) they take him out and out him in couffin.
Then about 8 young men carry the couffin around the village after one of them kills a cock and sprays somne blood on it.
As they carry him - they sing and shout and everyone folows.
When they reach the cemetery ang greaveyard, a few men speak, drink and our some gin on the dead one, then, put the couffin along wioth the gin bottle in the grave. Childern are sent away.
Thenm a loud sound announces the end of the festivities.
I saw 2 studnents who asked me if they can work with me on sunday and who's going to be teaching the computer music class when I'm gone...

I will be back

2 comments:

  1. Milica, it's incredible to see how the passage from life can be celebrated in so many different cultures...you know, some people say that death is to be celebrated because your sould is actually going back to a much better state, and that life on earth is the hardship ..that's why we cry when we are born!!!:) anyway....great stuff and great life experience...you were born for this, you know, for being with people , the more diverse the better....miss ya....enjoy! luv clau

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  2. clau, can't wait to get togheter with you agian.
    miss you much.
    bjs.
    m

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