Funerals generally follow a familiar format, especially in Ireland.
So imagine how strange it would be to attend a funeral led by Darth Vader.
Undertakers have revealed the strangest funeral requests, including a Lord of the Rings themed funeral and a burial with the body dressed up as Santa Claus.
Gandalf and conga lines — undertakers reveal the most unusual funeral requests everhttps://t.co/IrIHFbuehQ
— Metro (@MetroUK) February 18, 2024
Experts at Sun Life interviewed 100 funeral directors, and found the following bizarre funeral arrangements:
- The funeral director was asked to dress up as Darth Vader
- The mourners were asked to do a conga line out of the church
- The deceased asked to be laid out in the nude and for mourners to attend the funeral NAKED
- The mourners were asked to wear stockings and suspenders for a Rocky Horror Picture Show themed funeral
- The family asked the funeral director to conduct the ceremony dressed as Gandalf from Lord of the Rings
- The deceased asked to be buried in a full Santa costume-with a beard
CEO at Sun Life, Mark Screeton, told Metro UK : "Over the past 20 years we have seen more and more great examples of how people make their loved ones' funerals really personal. Some of the requests tend to stick in the memory, like the man who wanted to be buried as Father Christmas, and the farmer who was buried on a bed of hay."
Advertisement
View this post on Instagram
The Irish have a strong tradition of celebrating life and death, with triangle cut sandwiches and open coffins par for the course. To learn more about the fascinating traditions and superstitions around the Irish and death, try the Irish Wake Musuem here in the South East.
