Party like a South Africa // Tombstone Unveiling

July 10, 2015

Dumelang!

In addition to July 4^th being the day of Independence in America, it was also my family’s TOMBSTONE UNVEILING! (also, follow me on Instagram for my Fourth of July post hehe @morganleestoner)

What is a Tombstone Unveiling, you ask?

In South African culture, when someone dies they are buried in a rudimentary grave with rocks and a place-holder tombstone, but sometime after the death, the family buys a tombstone and unveils it. Unlike American funerals, which can be a somber affair, South African funerals and Tombstone Unveilings are straight-up parties.

Recipe for a great Tombstone Unveiling:

500 plus guests (some of whom just show up because they see a party happening, and that’s totally okay because, in SA, invites are NOT required)
Enough food to feed said guests (including the ceremonial slaughtering of a cow)
Alcohol (they actually spend days brewing their own African beer)
DJ and dancing

I spent 30 minutes talking to my supervisor about the reasoning behind tombstone unveilings, and this is what I gathered (I’m still kinda confused): Maybe the family is waiting for the coffin to be built. Coffin stealing is pretty common in South Africa so apparently waiting a year lessens that chance? Maybe initially the family couldn’t afford a tombstone when the person died. A Tombstone Unveiling is also a show of wealth because some families splurge on large, ornate tombstones. A common theory: If you don’t spend money, you don’t love the deceased.

Women are usually in charge of everything but the meat.

I literally have no idea what this is… nose? brain?

Homemade African Beer! (Probably tastes as good as it looks)

The cow head chillin’ in the cooler with the sodas (aka “cold drink”).

This is what pap looks like when it’s ready to eat.

We spent the morning at the African Catholic Church and from there, we moved on to the cemetery to unveil the tombstones. My family’s tombstone unveiling was actually for six family members because my mom was most likely trying to save money by having all the unveilings together with one party. After the church and cemetery portion of the day, the party started.

I got permission to take pictures during this service.

There’s a group called a “TROPA”. I’m not sure exactly what they do, but they come to all funerals and tombstone unveilings. They perform traditional military type ceremonies with singing and dancing and wear awesome uniforms.