Funeral

On Sunday, My host Mother invited me to a funeral. I wanted to see how a South African funeral in a rural village differed from a funeral in the states. We walked about 2km to the house where the service was to be held. We arrived late, but even after being there 30min people were still arriving. During the service several guest were on their cell phones. On a side note, in South Africa incoming calls are free, maybe that’s why some people will pick up the phone in any situation. The funeral was held in the front yard, the family sat under a tent. I really wish I had pictures to show you, this image is really difficult to paint. Cars flooded the streets. Some spectators did not bother to enter the compound.
After the service my mom and I walked with the majority of the funeral party, the others, including the family of the deceased drove to a lot about 2k away. There the priest said a few words and lowered the casket. Immediately after the priest walked away men from the crowd began handing out shovels, ran to the mound of dirt and began burying the deceased. A line of men then formed, it looked as if everyone wanted to help bury this person. I chose not to participate in this, as I did not feel comfortable.