Saying Goodbye with Grace: The Enduring Power of Adesiedeɛ in Akan Funeral Traditions

By Mavis Asare

What if you had one final chance to offer comfort, love, and respect to a loved one who has passed away? In the Akan tradition of Ghana, this is not a hypothetical question. It is answered through a sacred funeral rite known as Adesiedeɛ.

Far more than a ritual, Adesiedeɛ also known as burial items is a heartfelt language of loss and legacy. It involves the symbolic gifting of personal items by the immediate family, often the widow or widower, to the extended relatives of the deceased. Each object is meticulously chosen, transforming the ceremony into a powerful tribute to the life that was lived and the ancestral connections that remain.

                                            Ladies carrying the Adesiedeɛ items 

A Personal Farewell

For Comfort Baah, who lost her husband three years ago, performing the Adesiedeɛ rite was an experience of immense emotional gravity.

“The man’s family tells you what to bring,” she recalls. “You’ll buy items used to bathe the deceased a bucket, towel, sponge, lemon, shea butter, pomade, and powder. Later, you’re asked to bring the farewell items: schnapps, a handkerchief, water, a mat, and a pillow.”

The ceremony culminated in a moment of poignant finality. “You remove your ring and tell him, ‘This is where it ends for both of us. Be a well-behaved ghost and take care of your children.’” For Comfort, the act was both a deeply personal goodbye and a public affirmation of her husband’s memory.

The Meaning Behind the Gifts

Every item presented holds deep symbolic weight, according to a traditional leader Asonaba Agyeiwaa Kodie.

“Handkerchiefs are for wiping tears,” she says. “Kola nuts, often wrapped in palm branches, are chewed. They turn our lips and eyes red a visible sign to the world and the ancestors showing how deeply we’re hurting inside.”

From the schnapps offered as a final drink to the mat for eternal rest, each gift is a vessel for emotion, reverence, and spiritual significance.

A Tradition in Transition

While its core purpose remains untouched, Adesiedeɛ has evolved with the times. Historian Kwaku Darko Ankrah notes how modernity and faith have shaped its practices.

“We now use beds instead of mats to lay the deceased in state,” he says. “Christianity has also influenced the tradition, leading to a reduction in practices like libation pouring”

Following the ceremony, not all items are buried. Some are distributed among guests, while others are shared among family members.

A Legacy That Endures

Adesiedeɛ is ultimately more than a farewell. It is a powerful testament to enduring love, ancestral pride, and the unwavering belief that life continues beyond death.