Final Goodbye

The bells ring each morning at 5 a.m. and again in the evening at 6 p.m. They ring quickly and it’s a happy ring. Today the church bells rang slowly. They rang slowly three times throughout the day. Church music played each time the bells rang. When someone in the village dies the church music plays and the church bells slowly ring.


Two people died today. There is also a funeral of someone who died last week. Women are wearing white blouses and black skirts; men are wearing suits. The hearse moves slowly through the village with hymns and gospel songs blasting from the speakers. The woman in the front seat rolls down her window to say hello to a friend who is standing on the roadside. The service is over. The procession seems never ending. There are streams of cars and SUVs, but mostly pick-up trucks overflowing with men, women and children all sitting on the edges of the truck bed.


There are a lot of funerals here; at least three a month. Funerals start with large wakes in the open homes of the deceased relatives. There are songs, prayers, drink and food. They usually go on for several days before the service and burial. The day of the service, the village slows down, the stores close, the teachers are absent and the Catholic Church packs with mourners. It’s a small village and most everyone is related in some fashion.