Explaining the Origins Behind Southern Funeral Traditions

There’s more to them than just honoring the dead

Photo by the author

I have buried both my grandfather and my father in the span of a month. As a granddaughter and daughter, my emotions have been a rollercoaster. However, as a writer, so has my brain.

Growing up in the South, I was always taught that there were simply things that you did when someone’s loved one passed away. In the past month, I witnessed firsthand that those traditions are still alive.

I like to know why things happen the way they do, so now that I’m in the process of healing, I decided to delve into the “whys”. The answer I was always given was “to show respect”, however, I felt there was also some logistical reason to them. And here they are:

Pulling over for a funeral procession

Funeral processions actually date back to the ancient Egyptians. While they didn’t have motor vehicles, the body of the dead was placed on a cart and pulled by men or oxen. The Greeks and Romans honored their dead in a similar fashion. Early American processions were carried out using horse-drawn buggies, which eventually evolved into the modern-day hearse.

Originally, the tradition of pulling over for a funeral procession was for…