I attended my first Jamaican wake during my last reach and was sweetly surprised. Music, dancing, mannish water, curried goat, dominoes and drinks. I really enjoyed this as it seems here funerals and such are so sad.

I have heard about grave digging and funerals ja style but have never attended one. Does anyone have any stories or experiences that they would like to share?

no stories.....just bring the rum

Been to a few.....an experience not to be missed. Yes, Wendy...bring the white rum!!! LOL

I was at a grave digging in Feb 2012 at the top of Redground .WOW !!! is all I can say. There was a knife attack and then a hot water attack. It's a good thing that the Red Dragon is only about a 5 min walk "down the hill ". Rag-a-Bones heard about it BEFORE !!!! I got there .And you think that Jamaicans yell for no reason...hehehe... for you people that want to pay homage to Mickey Hill his grave is beside the church on the way up to Redground beside the Scotia Bank. The one that is directly behind Cottontree Hotel.

Miss Lena is buried right out the back door of the church by Mandrex corner. I have heard stories about that funeral...6 hours long and the Blvd was lined with friends of "Miss Negril."

I Have spent some time in the country at friends yards and lots of family members are buried right in the yard.

I was told recently that they are no longer able to just bury unless it is a specific graveyard area. They also started lining the grave with blocks and cement. Cremation is also not very common.

I don't have any 1st hand experience but do have 2 stories told to me that make me wonder about JA.

1) I noticed a scar on a guy's shoulder (a guy I've known for a bit). Asked him what happen and he said he was attacked by guy with a knife when digging his grandfather's (or grandmother's) grave.

2) Last year someone on here noted that someone had been shot dead in Retreat. I was arriving shortly after that and asked around b/c I know some people from that area. Most everyone said nothing (that was a whole see&blind, Hear&Deaf thread, IIRC), but one guy told me the victim was digging a grave with someone else when gunmen set upon them and shot him.

So those 2, plus OT's story make me wonder... what is about JA with attacking people when digging graves??

I have a ja friend who works at the "Dead House" and she said that neither she or her fellow employees like doing funerals when someone was killed by "gunman". So many retaliations.

She is feared by most Jamaicans just because she deals with the dead. And very few that didn't know her before she worked there, won't even eat from her pot. One of my yard mates said he heard "from mi uncle, that people that work in the dead yard have some kind of powder they sprinkle on themselves so the duppy don't follow them from the job site."

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20070429/focus/focus3.html

Here is an old article I found on it..

http://transitionsunshine.info/2008/07/wakes-and-funerals-in-jamaica/

Its one of those things that just have to be experienced...I will say that some of the best parties i've been to have been dead yard parties, etc..as far as music, drink and food and the amount of people...