JAMAICAN FUNERAL RITUALS 1

The Evolution of Jamaican Funeral Practices and Rituals

Tricia Bent

York University
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The funeral and burial rituals of Jamaican culture are a phenomenon that is of great

interest. There is plenty of folklore that mostly came from old African traditions and continued to

evolve during the slave trade era that is worth studying in the future. For example, the family of

the deceased would hold an all-night celebration, catered with food, music and games. This is

referred to as “Nine Night”. Traditionally, the family would choose to celebrate daily for nine

nights to give their loved one a proper send-off, but some may only take one or two nights. These

aspects along with others that were not mentioned should garner additional research with more

emphasis on the pandemic and how that has affected these practices. It would be important to

know if these traditions will still be carried on by the current and future generations. Due to the

fact that these rituals are heavily rooted in Christianity, it would be critical to consider the state

of religious culture among the younger generation. The importance of these religious traditional

values to the younger generation, and whether they uphold these values, could determine its

continued existence or extinction in the near future.

For the aspects of the rituals mentioned before, it was not hard to find recent in-depth

studies on the other details and potential variations that can be part of the funeral experience. In

fact, many of the articles that were found have detailed historical knowledge and more current

findings on the development of this phenomenon.

In one of the journal articles, participant observation was conducted in an attempt to

show the variety and individuality of Jamaican religion and rituals like Nine Night. Even specific

details such as the choices of songs and how they will be played are part of the family

discussion, or at least, the band that the family hires to perform. Usually, only hymns are the

final choice for songs. According to the article, there would be a table supplied with salt, sugar,

and water, each with different symbolic meanings. In some families, salt would be used as a
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means of keeping bad spirits away. This is specifically seen in Obeah, a well-known Caribbean

religion focused on spiritual healing. However, because Christianity is the predominant religion,

others would say the salt is used to protect against Satan (Wardle, 1996). It is important to note

that these practices are not used as much anymore. Even secular reggae songs are interwoven

into what would have been a hymnal set list. In another article, the author gathered their data

through direct observation, where he recaps the events that took place during Nine Night at two

different locations. The influences of Christendom and old African beliefs are in full view here.

It highlights just how much these two religious practices have melded together over several

centuries. The author gives a detailed account, where different people share their

encouragements and exhortations to cherish one’s life (Simpson, 1957). This shows that one of

the main purposes of these occasions like Nine Night is there to provide comfort and are a

coping mechanism for the mourning family. In the final article, the author gives a glimpse of

what modern wakes and funeral practices are like in the early 2000s. For example, the funeral

can take up to three weeks after the death of the loved one, and in some cases, a month. The

reason for this is that some extended family members do not live in Jamaica, and will need time

to prep and book their flights there. In the past, this was not possible due to a lack of mortuaries

in the country. The article also highlights how a few of the higher-class citizens and celebrities

go about their funeral proceedings. In one example, a high-profile gang leader had his casket

made out of glass and its handles out of 18 karat gold. Those that supported the gang leader

rioted the streets for two days (Paul, 2007). All of this seems to show the more aggressive and

hostile nature of Jamaican culture.

All of these articles present many sides to how Jamaicans organize their funerals.

However, there is not much that explains topics like the potential social discourse between
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extended family and immediate family, or some of the ulterior motives nonrelatives may have

for showing up to events like Nine Night.

The purpose of the study is to see if these old Jamaican traditions are still important to the

younger generations today, and what that means for the future of this cultural phenomenon. The

question is: Are these funeral practices under the threat of extinction any time soon? Based on

the three articles, it seems like they may not necessarily be under threat, but it is slowly

approaching that line.

Method

Participants

400 participants will be needed to conduct this study. 200 of them will need to be from

either Canada or America, and the other 200 will come from Jamaica. The age range will be

from 20 to 30 years old. Anyone of any gender can participate.

Materials

Participants will need some sort of smart device or computer because the data will be

obtained by an online questionnaire. Once completed, three randomly chosen participants will

have the chance to win a $100 retail gift card. A list of 10 stores will be provided so the

participants can choose which one they would like. There will be ten questions, some of which

will require the participant to use a 10-point rating scale of their experiences at a funeral event.

The other questions will require the participant to briefly describe their experience or answer

‘yes’ or ‘no’. The range of the scale will be from one to ten, one meaning the experience was

terrible and ten meaning it was wonderful.

Procedure

Before the questionnaire begins, there will be a brief description of what the study is

about, what its purpose is for and how long it will take to complete. It should take 20 minutes or

less to complete. The participants will be notified that their responses will be anonymous and

that they can choose to enter for the chance to win a $100 retail gift card. Once they have read

the description there will be a checkbox so they can give their consent to start the questionnaire.

They are brought to the first question ask them to describe how the pandemic has

affected their ability to participate in a funeral event. There will be a 200-word limit displayed

for questions like these. In the second question, they will briefly describe their experience at a

funeral event in Jamaica. In the third question, they will rate the overall experience they have just

described. The fourth will ask if they have ever experienced Nine Night before. They will have

the option to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’, for questions like this. If they have said yes they will be asked to

briefly describe that experience. The fifth will ask if they were an immediate or extended family

member, or a friend of their late loved one. If they are none of these options, there will be an

“other” option where they can say what they were. The sixth will ask the participant to briefly

describe the kind of music that was played at Nine Night or the day of the funeral if they have

not experienced the former. They will rate the music performance in the seventh question with

the scale. The eighth will ask if there were any disputes or conflicts that may have taken place

between family members or friends. If there were any, they will be asked how it affected the

mood of the overall funeral. For the ninth question, they will be asked if they would ever attend

Nine Night again. There will be an option for those who have never been to that event. The final

question will ask them if there is anything they would want to change about the way Jamaican
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funerals are organized and planned. If they say yes, they will be asked to briefly state the things

they would like to change.

After they have completed the survey they will be thanked for participating. They will

also have the option to go to a separate page where they can enter their email into the raffle.

Results

The results will be reviewed through narrative analysis. This way, the responses from the

participants in Canada, America, and Jamaica can be compared. Going back to the hypothesis,

the results would show that this cultural phenomenon may not maintain its traditional roots in the

near future. It could evolve into something entirely new or cease to exist. Considering the

western influences, the responses from Canada and America may have a more liberal perspective

in the responses from Jamaica.

Discussion

The results obtained from the questionnaire will be helpful in determining the trajectory

of a large aspect of Jamaican culture. There is also the fact that more questions could have been

added to gain further information on the perspectives of the participants. The questions could

have been better worded for clarity as well. There is room for improvement in each of these

areas. Due to the fact that a narrative analysis was used for review, this could potentially cause

researcher bias. Going back to the individuality discussed in the first article, the distinctive

qualities of each funeral event will likely be one of the key factors as to why the older traditions

may fade away. More people may be open to change or evolving with what is currently popular.

Just like the other articles have shown, the culture surrounding the funeral, burial, and other

events are all susceptible to change over time.

References

Journal articles

WARDLE, H. (1996). “RIDING ON THE WIRE” IN KINGSTON JAMAICA AGAINST A

“CANONICAL VERSION” OF THE “NINE NIGHT.” Cambridge Anthropology, 19(3), 86–92.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/23818799

Simpson, G. E. (1957). The Nine Night Ceremony in Jamaica. The Journal of American

Folklore, 70(278), 329–335. https://doi.org/10.2307/537806

Paul, A. (2007). “No Grave Cannot Hold My Body Down”: Rituals of Death and Burial in

Postcolonial Jamaica. Small Axe 11(2), 142-162. https://www.muse.jhu.edu/article/220150.