“Until Death Do Us Part”: Weddings and Funerals in Ghana

Ghanaian Weddings

 In a Ghanaian traditional wedding, the couple and the wedding party dress in kente cloth to give the feeling of royalty.

There is a presentation of wedding gifts to the bride and her family at the wedding venue.

There is dancing and music aplenty, as entertainment plays a big role in the celebrations.

• Traditional food is served buffet-style at the wedding reception party held immediately after.
• In a traditional Ghanaian wedding, gifts are presented to the bride and her family, including a wedding registry that serves the purpose of a dowry, listing things she needs to begin her new life. 
• As it is in a traditional wedding, the arrival of the bride is always the star attraction of the party. But at Ghanaian weddings, this can be a drawn-out process—especially if there’s a lot of gifting involved. The bride makes an appearance with much fanfare and goes around greeting the family of the groom, welcoming them to her home, and accepting the gifts presented to her and her family.

• A symbolic aspect of the Ghanaian wedding is the bride giving her consent when asked for her hand in marriage. This is done three times, as a matter of denoting that she is sure of her decision and not forced into an alliance.
• Music is a big part of the ceremony, so expect to hear gospel songs, as well as Afro beats. The groom’s family enters with music when bringing the bride’s gifts, the bride’s family enters with music when she makes her grand entry, and there’s generally music all around accompanying every aspect of the wedding. 

• Opon-akyi bo” Knocking on the door involves the tradition of the groom and his family going to the bride’s home to present the marriage proposal and ask her family for her hand in marriage. Though in Ghanaian culture this practice is historically done weeks or months before the wedding day, this is now sometimes incorporated on the day of the wedding just ahead of the rest of the festivities planned for the day.
• Tiri Nsa
• No Ghanaian marriage is complete without the presentation of drinks. Most custodians of Ghanaian culture do not accept the validity of a wedding where the groom doesn’t provide drinks – to show the importance of this ritual.

Ghanaian Funerals

“Funerals are a big deal in Ghana. The people of this West-African nation revere the dead, and funerals play a central role within their communities.”

Traditional Ghanaian funerals are lavish, elaborate, and often drawn-out affairs. In fact, it’s common for families to spend more on funerals than weddings.

• Services take place nearly every week, normally on Saturdays (sometimes multiple in a day). When there’s a death, Ghanaians tend to announce the passing formally with a written letter or email bulletin.
  • For at least one week following a death, the family will store and prepare the body for burial. The longer a body is stored, the more lavish the funeral will likely be.

• But Ghanaians observe several other days of mourning, which take place on death anniversaries, usually one week after the person’s death. When a week has passed, the family will observe the day and celebrate the life of the deceased. It’s not normal, and often frowned down upon if the actual funeral happens earlier then 3 months after the death.

• “We take seriously the idea of giving the dead a befitting burial. We refurbish the house in which the dearly departed lived and died or sometimes a new house has to be built to be able to stage a spectacular funeral. That takes time. If you want certain important personalities to be at the funeral, then a suitable date that would accommodate various diaries will have to be negotiated. And that takes time. This weekend, I was at the funeral of a famous industrialist and politician, Nana Akenten Appiah-Menka. His funeral brochure is a 226-page glossy production of photographs and tributes covering his lifetime of 84 years. That takes time to compile.”

• For a Ghanaian funeral, it’s traditional for members of the community to wear formal clothing in black and white, symbolizing giving thanks to God and an end to the initial mourning period. 
  • In some Ghanaian cultures, you’ll be able to recognize the immediate family of the deceased wearing red and black attire. Chieftains wear traditional garb and sit under elaborate umbrellas to observe the festivities. 

• One of the most notable Ghanaian funeral rites is the creation of fantasy caskets. Professional casket-makers carve and paint elaborate coffins shaped like items that the deceased loved in life. 

• Many Ghanaian funerals expect donations to help the family recoup their costs.
• The mood of a Ghanaian funeral will be both somber and joyful by turns. You should feel free to offer your condolences but keep in mind the religious and spiritual beliefs of the family. They may practice Christianity, Islam, an indigenous religion, or something else.
• As we know, Ghanian culture is diverse in the different tribes and ethnicities within the country, however, they are an overarching sense of social conservatism linked to the country’s relationship to Christianity
  • Though this is the case, it’s a fact that traditional African religious practices have an effect/influences most Ghanaian funeral services no matter the person’s background

Funerals in Different Ghanaian Cultures

• Asanti Funerals: The main funeral festivities begin after burial. Family, friends, and acquaintances all attend to commemorate the passing of the person’s soul to Okra, the ancestral world. At the celebration, Ashanti chiefs sit in the shade of colorful umbrellas to observe. The family members of the deceased wear red and black, and men wear large black clothes across their shoulders. Traditional greetings take place upon arrival, after which dancing begins. 
• Mole-Dagbon Funerals: Chieftaincy and familial connections play major roles in Dagomba society. Therefore, Dagomba funerals differ based on a person’s place within the family and their position in the tribe’s hierarchy.
  • A very heavy mix of both Islamic and Traditional African traditions within funeral services
  • In Dagomba culture, it’s thought that after their deceased ancestors will stay close to their families, often watching their funeral festivities

• Fante Funerals: In Fante tribal culture, a person’s family lineage or abusua is his or her mother’s side of the family. Only members of one’s maternal abusua are considered immediate family. A person’s spouse and children have very little involvement in the funeral, compared to the maternal family. 
  • Additionally, the size of a Fante tribe member’s funeral is directly tied to the level of respect he or she holds in the community. A family that wants to show its love for the departed is expected to hold a long and lavish funeral. 
  • In many cases, theatrical shows with amplifiers blasting music take precedence over traditional drums, in an attempt to host an even more impressive ceremony. 

about the authors:

– (Weddings) Kevoni Neely ‘25, African American Studies Major and a Crime Law and Justice Minor. I’m from Washington State. I’m really looking forward to exploring Ghana and experiencing a different culture.
– (Funerals) Riley Ofrecio ‘24, African American Studies and Politics and Government Major. I’m from Washington state, and I’ve never traveled outside of North America before so I’m excited to be able to gain new experiences not just in cultural diversity but travel experience as well.