Wake Keeping and Ghana Funeral Programme: Order of Service Explained

The Friday Night Wake Keeping

The traditional Akan wake keeping runs through the night before the Saturday burial. The body has been retrieved from the mortuary and transported to the maternal family house, where the ritual bathing (kyeekyeere) is performed by designated kinswomen. After bathing, the body is dressed in high-grade Kente cloth or formal Western attire and laid in state on a raised bed or platform inside the house.

The wake serves two purposes. It is the family's last private night with the deceased before the public ceremonies begin, and it allows early sympathizers — particularly those who've travelled from distant towns — to pay respects and offer initial nsawa contributions.

Practically, the wake is also when the logistics team does its final preparation: confirming the hearse timing, setting up canopies and chairs at the public venue, testing the PA system, and printing or distributing the funeral programme booklets.

Important: Some Traditional Areas Ban Overnight Wake Keeping

The Nkoranza Traditional Area and several other Ashanti councils have outlawed overnight wake keeping to reduce costs and security risks. If the burial is in a traditional area with this restriction, the Friday-night programme is compressed into a brief evening viewing that ends by a set curfew. Check with the local traditional council before planning an all-night event.

The Saturday Funeral Programme

The Saturday programme is the public face of the funeral and typically runs from early morning to late afternoon. The order of service varies by denomination and family, but the core structure across most Akan funerals follows this sequence:

Early Morning (4:00–6:00 AM): Private Viewing and Adesiedeɛ

The immediate family gathers for a private viewing before the public is admitted. This is when the adesiedeɛ offerings are placed: monetary coins, rings, gold chains, and handkerchiefs tucked inside the casket or tied in a small purse to the body. These serve as spiritual currency for the deceased's journey to Asamando.

Morning (8:00–9:00 AM): Casket Closing and Procession

The abusuapanyin oversees the final casket closing. Once sealed, the coffin is loaded into the hearse for transport to the church.

The coffin itself carries expectations. The children of the deceased are traditionally obligated to provide the casket, and its quality is publicly visible. Standard wooden caskets are common, but some families commission fantasy coffins (abebuu adekai) carved into shapes representing the deceased's profession or personality — a practice particularly associated with the Ga people but adopted in some Akan urban communities.

Mid-Morning (9:00–11:30 AM): Church or Religious Service

The church service follows the denomination's funeral liturgy: processional hymn, scripture readings, homily, tributes from family members and colleagues, and the committal prayer. The printed funeral programme governs this portion — hymn numbers, tribute speakers in order, and special musical performances.

If the family has a dual Christian-traditional approach, the church service is the pastor's domain. Traditional elements (libation, ancestral invocations) happen separately, usually at the graveside or back at the family gathering.

Midday (11:30 AM–1:00 PM): Interment

The hearse proceeds from the church to the cemetery. At the graveside, the pastor leads the committal. In families that observe traditional libation at burial, the abusuapanyin or ɔkyeame pours separately after the Christian committal.

The widow does not accompany the procession to the grave. At the outskirts of town, she turns back — throwing a stone over her shoulder and breaking a clay cooking pot, both rituals that sever her domestic obligations to the deceased.

Afternoon (1:00–5:00 PM): Grand Public Gathering and Nsawa

This is the ayipa — the large communal gathering where the family receives sympathizers, nsawa donations are publicly announced, and food is served. The family sits under red canopies in a receiving line. Visitors approach in the family's instructed handshake order.

What Goes in the Printed Programme

The funeral programme booklet is one of the committee's most visible deliverables. A standard Ghanaian programme includes:

• Cover photo of the deceased with birth and death dates
• Brief biography and family tree
• Order of service with hymn numbers and scripture references
• Tribute slots (family, friends, colleagues, church)
• Acknowledgements page (thanking the funeral committee, donors, clergy)
• Back cover: family contact information

The communications sub-committee handles design and printing. For diaspora families, programmes are often designed digitally and printed locally in Accra or Kumasi to avoid shipping delays.

The Full Planning Kit

The West African Funeral — Ghana guide includes a Saturday timeline template, a programme booklet outline, and a coffin selection reference covering both traditional caskets and the fantasy coffin commissioning process.