Africa is renowned for having intriguing customs and cultures. But when it comes to the deceased, many African societies avoid them and even regard talking to them as improper.
The Chewa Community, the largest ethnic community in Malawi and a Bantu people of central and southern Africa, do not share this opinion.
It is usual to wash the body of the deceased at the burial ceremony of a tribal member. But during the washing of a dead body in the Chewa Community, the deceased’s throat is cut, water is poured through their bodies through the anterior part of the dead body, and the corpse is then brought to a sacred location for washing. As they think the deceased has been cleansed of his or her sins, the water is then collected and used to prepare a meal for the entire community.
The entire village turns out when someone passes away. This is due to the Chewa belief that death is frequently brought on by witchcraft and is therefore rarely a natural occurrence.
The Chewas are keen on attending funerals because they think that witchcraft primarily affects family members, thus those who may have killed the person would stay away, mostly because they are within the deceased person’s family. Since it is required that every family member attend the funeral, the entire village usually goes because everyone is related in the community.
Funerals are not only occasions to mourn; they are also enormous social gatherings when people gather to eat, drink beer, and socialize. The Chewa people are a remnant of the Maravi (Malawi) people or empire. About 1.5 million people live among them in Malawi and neighboring Zambia.
Many people frequently think of the masquerade dance known as “Gule wa mkulu” when the name “Chewa” is uttered.
Reference
| 1. | The Chewa’s Festival for the dead. | https://hadithi.africa/the-chewas-festival-for-the-dead/
| 2. | Festival of the dead – Malawi. They believe death is not natural but usually caused by witchcraft | https://gh.opera.news/gh/en/lifestyle/ca39016f1e7d9ba26e595538aa36ef9a
| 3. | The Chewa festival of the dead | https://lughayangu.com/post/the-chewa-festival-of-the-dead
| 4. | The Cleansing Of the Dead Ceremony in Chewa Community of Malawi | https://iloveafrica.com/the-cleansing-of-the-dead-ceremony-in-chewa-community-of-malawi/
| 5. | The Chewa and their strange ritual for the dead! – DNB Stories Africa | https://dnbstories.com/2017/08/chewa-and-their-strange-ritual-for-the-dead.html
| 6. | Chewa: The tribe in Malawi that prepared meals with water from a corpse during burial | https://face2faceafrica.com/article/chewa-the-tribe-in-malawi-that-prepared-meals-with-water-from-a-corpse-during-burial
