One of the many unique cultural staples of New Orleans lies within the fundamentals of their funerals. A jazz funeral is a tradition originally reserved for the important people of a community but has since then become more inclusive. These funerals, unlike traditional American funerals, are full of colors and music. A band (traditionally brass) and a parade carry the casket of the departed through the streets, never traveling in a straight line. The only person who knows the route the parade will take to the cemetery is the leader of the parade. These services focus less on the mourning factors of a funeral and instead celebrate the life of the departed. A celebration is held in memory of the kind of person they were to the community, the impact that they left on the people who knew them, and the overall liveliness and spirit.
The funerals would center around vibrant colors and boisterous music through the percussions of a brass band. As people would gather and collect for these ceremonies, they would form a parade and march to the final resting place of their dearly departed. Through one individual, families, friends, and peers are led in both music and direction, only stopping when told and moving when told. The parade leader is tasked with most of the work, knowing to never move in a straight line as though to throw off sinister and malevolent spirits who might interfere with their cause. It is only through this way that the dead may find peace once delivered to their designated resting place.
What was once found native only to New Orleans, these kinds of funerals have since then broadened and extended to other areas. It was originally intended for prominent members of the community, and it still remains a heavily New Orleans-based event. And it is through these unique and monumental pillars of New Orleans culture alongside the deep history and intricate culture of the city that makes it what it is today. Celebrations of life are becoming more and more familiar today as communities start to recognize the comfort stemming from the idea of rejoicing in a life well spent instead of fearing the inevitable that is death.