How To Disregard Your Tradition and Place a Curse On Yourself And Your Lineage.

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How To Disregard Your Tradition and Place a Curse On Yourself And Your Lineage.

Burying a late parent wihout informing the extended family.

Burying a late parent without informing the late parents' family. Is this a spite on the family or ignorance of the culture and tradition? Is this morally right or wrong? What could be the possible reason, implication and consequences of these actions?

Well, everything is wrong with that. It places self imposed curses on the children. Even without the family having placed a cursed on the children. The children could have indirectly incured the wrath of their ancestors, and thereby drawing the curse on themselves.

Why does this happen?

It happens when the children have lost touch with their history and tradition. Especially when the children have travelled out of their land and country for too long. They begin to act like foreigners.

It could also be because the parents never brought the children close to interact with the family, when they were alive. So when they die, the extended family of the late parent, become strangers to the children of the late parent.

Some parents take the pre-caution to inform their children,  that when they die, the children should please meet up with their extended family, and do all the necessary rites required by the family. Such family do not have problems when the parents die. 

They carry out this instructions of their late parent and inform the extended family. The necessary and required family rites are done for the late parent to be buried appropriately, according to family tradition.

Here are three typical scenarios that happened in Edo state recently, from which I am drawing this reference.

The three families are related

First Scenario

The elderly parent, while she was alive, instructed the children to inform the extended family to do all necessary family rites required by tradition, in the event of her death. She also informed the extended family of same, while she was alive.

Her instruction was that, even though she was a christian and attended church before her death, The extended family must come first. They must be given the chance to do their rites, as required by tradition, before handing over to the church, to do theirs.

I think this is commendable, and morally right. It will not incur any potential curses on the children. But rather, it should bring more blessings and prosperity to the children, grand children and all the lineage of the late parent.

The people who value their culture and tradition, are the  people, who would recognise the importance of their culture even in their death.

The people who do not or never valued their culture and tradition, would not inform the extended family, when the late parent is buried.

Here is Scenario Two

A parent died in Nigeria, whose children had been abroad for so long. The children all came home to the country to bury their late parent. They informed the family and took the family along in the preparation to bury their late parent. 

They performed the necessary traditional burial rites. They allowed the extended family to perform the traditonal rites. The late parent was christian and the children are alo christian. Yet this did not stop the family from performing the traditional burial rites, as demanded by custom and tradition.

Here is Scenario Three

A parent died in Nigeria, and the children had been abroad for so long. They gave instructions not to inform the family, and secretly buried the late parent in Nigeria.

Then they asked the extended family how much they wanted for settlement in cash. They wanted to pay cash for ignoring the extended family and disrespecting tradition. But the extended family rejected their cash offer, saying they were not after their money, but apalled by their actioin of disregarding the family and tradition.

This is morally wrong. The children might have brought ancestral curses on themselves, by disregarding  the extended family,  and thus disregarding the culture and tradition. This practice by the children of the late parent should be discouraged and frowned at.

What is morally right?

It is the duty of the parents, when they are alive, to inform and instruct their children on the necessary family rites and tradition.

It is morally right for the parents to bring their children and the extended family together, every once in a while, for family introduction and interactions. 

This should be done while the parents are alive. It brings about good relationship and help strengthen family ties. The culture and Tradition would not look strange to the children when this is done as often as possible. While the parents are alive.

It is necessary that living parents tell their children, that when they disregard the extended family, they have therefore disregarded their culture and tradition. 

They are likely to bring upon themselves the wrath and curses of the ancestors, which could bring bad luck.

They should be made to understand, that it brings more peace, blessings and goodwill for honouring their culture and tradition. It brings more ancestral blessings and prosperity to their lineage. It also helps to preserve their culture and tradition, and their history is made unforgettable.