Celebrating Life with Unique and Unconventional Farewells
What do you think of when you hear the word funeral? Thoughts of sadness and formality? A sombre event full of grief and mourning? Events steeped in religious and cultural tradition? Well, it’s time to think again! In the current phase of funeral celebrations, people are opting to choose to focus on the joy and the life lived by the deceased. A new movement towards fun funerals is here and PicalunaFunerals, funeral directors from Sydney, has expanded to Melbourne to share their 7 years of experience in end-of-life celebration funerals, specialising in FUN FUNERALS.
Fun funerals are a non-traditional funeral farewell, designed to honour the memory of the deceased, rather than solemnly mourning the truth that they are no longer with us. Families are supported to create funeral plans with their funeral director, to create an event of joyous celebrations of the individual’s uniqueness, their personality, their achievements. Modern funerals are created to observe the time the deceased spent with their community and honour achievements and share stories of the life lived by the deceased.
Let’s talk about change!
In the current era, there has been a change in focus to encourage an openness about death and the importance of discussing death cannot be overstated. By engaging in conversations about death, we can promote emotional preparedness, facilitate end-of-life planning, strengthen relationships, ease the grieving process, address cultural and spiritual beliefs, and encourage healthcare decision-making.
It is a topic that should be approached with compassion, sensitivity, and openness, yet in doing so, we empower ourselves and our loved ones to navigate the inevitable journey of life’s end with greater understanding and dignity. Whether a loved one has been taken suddenly or they have come to the end of their time, these conversations ultimately lead us to a more compassionate and informed society.
Welcome fun funerals 🙂
The rise of the fun funeral is part of this conversation and allows for the focus to shift from structured formal settings of mourning and remembrance, to more personalised celebrations of the loved one that has departed. Fun funerals have emerged as a response to the modern desire to celebrate life and honour the life lived. The life of the deceased individual’s passions and quirks instead of focusing solely on grief and loss.
Choosing a fun funeral allows friends and family to celebrate the unique personality of the deceased, their interests and their achievements whether the person was an avid sports enthusiast, a lover of music, had a passionate hobby like golf, or was an active participant in the community, a devoted, dedicated football fan, these celebrations allow mourners to remember and honour what made that person unique.
Inclusive and respectful
Picaluna funeral directors and funeral celebrants strive to deliver the best possible experience every time. Working closely in partnership with families they co-create meaningful celebrations including cremations and burials, memorials and home vigils and also scattering ashes events, they are ready to deliver whatever you need!
Fun funerals do not ignore the often emotionally challenging event of the passing of a loved one, they shift the focus towards joy and happiness. Remembering what the deceased brought to the lives of others and they create an uplifting atmosphere for positive dis-entanglement. By embracing humour and lightheartedness, fun funerals encourage open conversation about death and grief, shifting again and breaking away from, the traditional style. The lighter tone allows mourners to focus on the life lived. This is a very important to practice for those who are saying goodbye to a long-term partner or friend. It creates an uplifting and positive atmosphere allowing for reflection to be part of the healing process.
Tradition vs contemporary
A Fun funeral reflects the change in cultural attitudes towards more personalised and authentic farewells and has allowed for different themes to evolve. Traditionally black attire was worn at a funeral, sombre black, reflecting cultural traditions. The choice of black attire for funerals can be traced back to ancient civilizations, where it symbolised not only sorrow but also the desire to show solidarity with the bereaved. However recent contemporary customs have evolved with colourful attire becoming a modern funeral choice, which supports a shift to joyous end-of-life celebrations. Mourners are encouraged to wear bright colours or dress in the deceased’s favourite colour or style adding a vibrant and joyful element to the gathering.
Dress and Lightheartedness
Another theme becoming more common is the practice of encouraging grievers to dress in a particular colour or style. For example, attendees at a funeral for a die-hard sporting fan would dress in the deceased team colours, if the deceased was a movie lover or a music lover of a particular band or genre, themed funerals can reflect a fun-filled celebration of the deceased life, honouring their interests with costumes, laughter and humour.
A common modern funeral service style is the practice of intertwining wit and humour as part of the celebration, supporting a heartwarming way to remember the deceased by sharing stories and anecdotes, lightening the atmosphere and creating a sense of unity amongst the mourners.
Unique funeral venues
In many cultures, religious institutions such as churches, temples, mosques, and synagogues have been common settings for funerals. Nowadays memorial events and funerals can occur at more unique locations that reflect the deceased. No longer required to celebrate a funeral service in a place of worship the memorial event can be hosted in locations significant to the deceased. For example: the cricket club house that the deceased was part of for a lengthy period, a local golf or tennis club venue, a restaurant, a park or beach, a backyard outdoor funeral that reflects the life of the deceased, etc. These unique funeral venues create a more intimate and personal are setting for saying goodbye.
Participation and fun ideas
Fun funerals often encourage participation, allowing attendees to be part of the entertainment by joining in performing a favourite song of the deceased, or reading poetry, creating art on the coffin with colourful crayon, presenting each participant with a significant item such as a fan, or a feather, or paper flower, all of these things are inclusive and personal to the deceased and honour their special interests. These items can be kept in memory of the person who it represents.
Displays such as photo boards, video collages and memory boards can also add a way for mourners to feel included in the celebrations. A photo can spark many memories and many stories. Funeral live streaming can also provide those who were not there a feeling of participation.
Releasing white doves can symbolize the release of the spirit and the hope for peace and freedom in the afterlife. It is a gesture of saying goodbye and letting go.
Letting go
FUN funerals offer a refreshing and uplifting approach to saying goodbye to our loved ones. While they may not be for everyone they provide an alternative for those seeking a more personalised and positive approach. These unique life celebrations focus on honouring the memories, passions and uniqueness of the deceased whilst embracing joy, humour and individuality. They remind us of the value of the life lived and prompt thoughts that death is not only about mourning loss, but celebrating life and connections.
Ultimately whether it is a traditional funeral or a fun funeral the most important thing is to create a space for grieving, healing and remembering those who have touched our lives in profound and meaningful ways. In saying farewell to the departed, by respecting the life they lived and connecting the life with the death, we honour the circle of life that connect us all; through birth to death.
