If there is anything that the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us, it's that preparing in advance for a potential funeral for yourself and loved ones is important.
With the onset of Covid-19, most communities had to bury their loved one with only close family members.
Now that the world has opened up, some new trends have become the new normal to funerals, especially amongst black communities.
Funerals continue to become expensive events, but the culture has evolved with more people opting to live stream funerals, choosing to be cremated and having a more coordinated themed funeral.
In the same breath funerals continue to be events where fashion, style, expensive cars are show-cased, leading to a move towards a demand for a one stop services.
The funeral industry, in response to the new trend has gone beyond offering just basic funeral services such as the hearse, grave and death registration.
They have added, catering, transportation, general event decoration and church services to their portfolio, adding that personal touch to how most people give their loved ones a dignified send off.
Abulela Gazi, head of client and business solutions at financial services provider Metropolitan shares some funeral trends in 2022 and beyond.
Live-streaming services
With so many parts of our lives becoming more and more digitised – from self-driving cars to smart homes and even the hybrid work revolution – it makes sense that funerals are also becoming more tech-friendly.
This trend has been fuelled even further thanks to COVID-19 locking down borders and keeping families separated for extended periods. While many funerals will also be held in-person, live-streamed funeral services continue to become more common in 2022 and beyond.
This allows those who live far away or simply cannot attend in person to participate in viewing the services.
Most funeral homes and churches have the technology available to make these live-streamed services possible. Many programs allow for several views and clips so that the service is high quality and looks like many of the professional shows we watch on television.
Personalised Services
People have slowly been moving away from tradition and becoming more and more personalized.
Unique, creative personalisation of the funeral service has become the new norm.
As a result of these new trends in funerals, people can now find a funeral cover that allow them to tailor what they get cover for.
This means you’re free to choose the services, products, and traditions you want for a funeral or memorial, whether that means hosting a celebration of life or celebration your loved one’s passion for music, flowers or cooking.
Each person is a complex, multifaceted individual, and each funeral or celebration of life should honour the details that made him or her unique in the world.
It's no small effort to create a one-of-a-kind send-off that friends and family will remember as a deep reflection of a special life.
Planning Ahead
Planning is more important now more than ever and discussing death has become more open within the family structure.
Some people have moved away from tradition ways of funeral service and more toward individualism, the younger population wants more control over their funerals, memorials and celebrations.
Discussing how we want to be remembered and our send-off can assist us in researching and planning for the inevitable end of life.
Planning and getting the right funeral cover not only give us a dignified funeral but also assists family members with making hard decisions and removes the financial anxiety during this very stressful and difficult time.
By planning ahead, you are able to design exactly the service you want – right down to the last detail. It is important to speak to an accredited financial advisor to ensure that you have adequate funeral cover for a dignified send off.
Cremation is slowly becoming an option in the African culture
Whether to be buried or cremated is something that a lot of people weigh up when thinking about our funerals.
Where we are buried is important and some people even in black communities are warming up to cremations for varied reasons.
When a person is cremated, their ashes can be scattered in a place of their choosing, meaning that their final resting place can be somewhere that meant a lot to them.
Rather than being confined to a particular burial plot, ashes can be scattered in the sea, abroad, or along with someone else who has also passed on.
Themed Funerals
More and more people are planning funeral services that express something about their personality.
With funerals now being more of a reflection of the person who has passed away, themed funerals are becoming increasingly popular.
Themes can be anything from the person’s favourite colour to a film they loved, a special place, or one of their passions.
In South Africa, there has been a people who are passionate about riding bikes have a motorcycle funeral procession as a celebration of their passion.
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