Nine-Nights, also known as Dead Yard, is a
funerary
A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect ...
tradition practiced in the Caribbean (primarily Belize, Antigua, Grenada, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Haiti). It is an extended
wake that lasts for several days, with roots in
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
n religious tradition. During this time, friends and family come together to the home of the deceased. They share their condolences and memories while singing hymns and eating food together.
In the old days, the nights were calm and reserved for the most part - but that tradition has changed with the times. Today, these gatherings resemble parties much more than they resemble wakes (though this is not true for all “nine-nights”).
Traditions
Nine-Nights are no longer a time to mourn, but a time to celebrate since the loved one is no longer suffering in life. When friends come they do not come with just condolences, instead they come with food, drink and music; this is after all a celebration. True to its name this celebration last nine nights and days with the ninth and final night being the night before the church service (Though some modern Islanders only celebrate for seven days and seven nights). On the ninth night the family prepares the food for all who come.
As tradition has it, on the ninth night the spirit of the deceased passes through the party gathering food and saying goodbye before continuing on to its resting place. Out of all the nights this night is the most revered since it is the end of the celebration. Stories about the deceased and the fondest memories are shared, along with prayers. Games, such as
dominoes
Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces, commonly known as dominoes. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also ca ...
, are played and there is the singing of hymns, which is also done on the other nights as well.
On the ninth night a table is set up under a tent with food for the loved one, though no one is allowed to eat from it before midnight, which is believed to be the time when the spirit passes through. Along with the food are drinks, most often Jamaican
rum
Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is usually aged in oak barrels. Rum is produced in nearly every sugar-producing region of the world, such as the Ph ...
with no less than 100
proof. The types of food on the table can vary from one celebration to the next, but typically fried fish and
bammy
Bammy is a traditional Jamaican cassava flatbread descended from the simple flatbread eaten by the Arawaks, Jamaica's original inhabitants. Today, it is produced in many rural communities and sold in stores and by street vendors in Jamaica and ab ...
are the main foods on the table. This time is very important to the family because it gives them the opportunity to celebrate the life of their loved one and to be able to say their goodbyes.
In order for the deceased to move on there is a process that must happen. First, there is the "seeing". This is when someone looks at a doorway and sees the spirit. They then tell someone and that person tells someone and so on. The leader of the ceremony greets the
duppy
Duppy is a word of African origin commonly used in various Caribbean islands, including Barbados and Jamaica, meaning ghost or spirit. (spirit) and then the night song begins. This is a song played for the duppy while he or she is told stories by the elders. Traditionally on the ninth night of the deceased's death their bed and mattress are turned up against the wall, in order to encourage the spirit (Jamaican patois "duppy") to leave the house and enter the grave. Then the leader of the ceremony uses a piece of white chalk to draw a cross over the exit that the spirit used to leave, allowing the spirit to never return.
sky
In Trinidad and Tobago many Christians participate in a "wake" in the days leading up to the funeral service which resembles the 'nine nights' traditions of other islands. In this country, Christians celebrate the "nine-nights" service nine days after the death of the deceased which may coincide with a few days after the funeral service and burial.
See also
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Wake (ceremony)
A wake is a social gathering associated with death, held before or after a funeral. Traditionally, a wake involves family and friends keeping watch over the body of the dead person, usually in the home of the deceased. Some wakes are held at ...
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Jazz funeral
A jazz funeral is a funeral procession accompanied by a brass band, in the tradition of New Orleans, Louisiana.
History
The term "jazz funeral" was long in use by observers from elsewhere, but was generally disdained as inappropriate by most New ...
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Month's Mind
A month's mind is a requiem mass celebrated about one month after a person's death, in memory of the deceased.mon ...
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Nine Days (film)
''Nine Days'' is a 2020 American fantasy drama film written and directed by Edson Oda in his feature debut. It stars an ensemble cast consisting of Winston Duke, Zazie Beetz, Benedict Wong, Tony Hale, Bill Skarsgård, David Rysdahl and Aria ...
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Shiva (Judaism)
( he, שִׁבְעָה , literally "seven") is the week-long mourning period in Judaism for first-degree relatives. The ritual is referred to as "sitting " in English. The period lasts for seven days following the burial. Following the initial ...
References
Further reading
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{{Afro-American Religions
Death customs
Obeah
Afro-Caribbean religion