Ghanaian funerals in the UK

For many Ghanaian families, a funeral is one of the most important events in family and community life, and in the UK it is often planned with the care of a wedding. This guide explains the one-week celebration, why the funeral is often held weeks later on a Saturday, what the cloth colours mean, and how to arrange everything in the UK. Customs differ between Akan, Ga, Ewe and northern traditions, between churches and between families.

Key points

• A one-week celebration, around a week after the death, is often the first gathering.
• The funeral is often held weeks or even months later, usually on a Saturday.
• Red and black usually signal grief. White, or black and white, is often worn to celebrate an elder’s long life.
• Guests often make donations towards the costs.
• Families often weigh burial in Ghana against burial in the UK.
• Always ask the family what they would like. Practice varies by region, faith, generation and family.

What makes Ghanaian funerals distinctive

Researchers describe Asante (Ashanti) funerals as the main public social events in the region, and a series of gatherings rather than a single day. One study of the Ashanti area lists five: the one-week ceremony, a 40-day ceremony, the funeral itself over three days, a meeting to close the accounts, and a one-year celebration. Families in the UK often keep a shortened version of this pattern.

Funerals are also often shared across countries. Research on Ghanaian migrants shows that relatives abroad play a major part in organising and paying for funerals at home, and a death in the UK may be marked in both Britain and Ghana.

The one-week celebration

About a week after the death, the family often holds a gathering at home, in a hall or at church. Relatives and friends, usually dressed in black or red and black, come to offer condolences and pray. Elders may announce the funeral date and plans. In Akan families the maternal family (abusua), led by the family head, has traditionally had a strong say in these decisions.

Timing: why the funeral is weeks later, on a Saturday

A long gap between death and funeral is normal and not a sign of neglect. It gives time to:

• hold family meetings to agree the date, place of burial and budget;
• let relatives travel from Ghana and elsewhere;
• book the church, hall, caterers, printing and cloth;
• complete repatriation paperwork if the burial will be in Ghana.

In England and Wales, a medical examiner must also review the death before it’s registered. During the wait, your loved one is cared for in the funeral director’s mortuary. Ask about charges for longer-term care, and about embalming if there will be a viewing (often called lying in state).

The funeral weekend

Families may be Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic, Anglican or Pentecostal, among others. Muslim Ghanaian families follow Islamic practice and bury as soon as possible (see our Muslim funerals guide). For church traditions, see our Pentecostal and Evangelical, Methodist and Catholic guides.

Dress: red, black and white

These meanings vary between traditions. Research on Akan mourning dress notes that the choice depends on how the person died and their place in the community. Many families also choose a printed cloth for relatives. If you don’t have traditional cloth, dark smart clothes in the family’s colours are fine.

Donations, food and music

• Donations: guests often give money in an envelope or at a donation table. Some families record gifts, and a family meeting after the funeral settles the accounts.
• Food: jollof rice, waakye, kelewele, fufu with light soup or groundnut soup, banku, kenkey and grilled fish are common.
• Music: hymns, gospel and choirs in church; highlife, drumming and sometimes a brass band at the reception.

Burial or cremation?

Burial is the strong tradition, and many families want their loved one buried near relatives. Some families now choose cremation, often for cost or practical reasons. It’s wise to agree this with family elders early. See cremation vs burial.

Mourning and remembrance

Many families mark the 40th day and the first anniversary with a gathering or memorial service, and later unveil a headstone. Where the burial is in the UK, some families also hold funeral rites in Ghana later, so relatives at home can take part.

Costs

Ghanaian funerals can be costly because of their size and length. The biggest items are usually:

• hall hire and catering for a large reception;
• longer mortuary care and embalming for a viewing;
• Saturday slots, which may be limited and cost more at some cemeteries and crematoria;
• printed programmes and cloth, photography and livestreaming;
• repatriation, if the burial is in Ghana.

Donations and family contributions often help. The Funeral Expenses Payment in England and Wales only covers funerals in the UK, the EEA or Switzerland, so it won’t help with a burial in Ghana. See our funeral costs guide.

Burial in Ghana or the UK?

Burial in Ghana lets the person rest in their hometown, near family. Burial in the UK keeps the grave close to children and grandchildren here, and is usually simpler. To repatriate from England or Wales, your funeral director gives notice to the coroner (Form 104). Don’t book flights until the coroner has given permission. See repatriation to Ghana and our general repatriation guide.

Practical tips for arranging the funeral in the UK

• Choose an experienced funeral director. Ask about long-term care, viewings, Saturday funerals and repatriation.
• Book Saturday early. Weekend cemetery and crematorium slots can be scarce.
• Book a longer slot. Crematoria run to fixed intervals (Croydon, for example, uses 45-minute slots), but extra time can often be booked.
• Tell the cemetery about numbers. Large funerals may need notice, and music at the graveside may need permission.
• Check the reception venue’s rules on finishing times, music and parking.
• Plan a livestream for relatives in Ghana and elsewhere.

Next steps

• Find funeral directors near you and cemeteries.
• Read what to wear to a funeral and what is a wake.
• Compare with Nigerian funerals in the UK.