Dokile, a comedian, was one of the greatest in the business. Today, May 25th, 2022, was his funeral. Funerals are usually held within 24 hours of a person’s death, and the deceased is buried the next day at a neighboring cemetery. In Addis Ababa, there is only one crematorium, which is operated by the Hindu community. Ethiopians typically do not bury their dead in crematoria. There is no tradition in Ethiopia of performing a formal memorial service. Almost everyone meets to remember the deceased for a few days, if not longer, after the funeral. Local law requires that the body be buried within 24 hours of death, whether or not it has been embalmed. Embalmed bodies are commonly kept in cold storage for two to three days by local authorities, especially if the surviving family seeks to claim possession of the body. During the 24-hour period, embalming services were also unavailable at times. In the past, remains kept in cold storage while awaiting services were easily shipped off after a few days. Human remains must be embalmed before being exported from Ethiopia to the United States. The embalming will be handled by the Ethiopian funeral home. If the deceased’s family members have any reservations or questions concerning embalming, they should contact the funeral home where the body will be received. The body must be embalmed in order to get a mortuary certificate.
