“MOTHER, sister, grandmother, great grandmother and great-great grandmother – a pillar of strength, now a guiding light.”

These were the words printed on the shirts worn by the extended family of Kate Joan Morris McFarlane, affectionately known as ‘Joanie’, whose wake I attended last Friday night.

It was the biggest wake I have ever seen, held at Girl Guides Pavilion on Brickdam. When my good friend and ‘sister’, Patsy, told me that her mother-in-law had died and announced the venue for the wake, I knew it was going to be big. But I never imagined that more than 400 people, spilling onto the compound of the Pavilion, would converge there that night.

Decked out with tables and chairs, a bar and a 15-foot-long table loaded with all types of food, it was a sight to behold.

This was not so much a mourning as a celebration of life well-lived.

There was a 60-foot television screen continuously showing pictures of the deceased and her family, situated on the stage behind a one-man band that delivered the usual religious songs, then broke out into an up-tempo selection that covered a gamut of tunes, from Soca to Oldies.

The band singers could not only sing well but also managed to create a festive air, interacting with the attendees, and encouraging them to sing along with some of the more popular songs.

Before long, people, myself included, took to the floor between the tables and began to dance, hands in the air, enjoying the music, at an event that was well-planned and expertly organised.

The word ‘wake’ actually came from an old English word for ‘watch’, where mourners would hold a vigil over the body, usually at the home of the deceased.

Originally, wakes served a practical purpose by ensuring the person was deceased, and also a spiritual one by helping the soul pass on. They are a means of showing that the person’s death is a community concern, as family, friends and even strangers gather to exchange stories, many about the deceased.

Modern wakes are more informal than those held in the 17th Century in Ireland, where wakes were first held and are no longer observed in the presence of the body.

Back in the day, people would literally stay awake with the dead from death until burial. And even now, wakes can last all night, with coffee and biscuits being served at daybreak. As a man told me at a wake in the Corentyne, where I lived for several years, “Georgetown people doan know how fuh hold wake. Dey does go home, but we does stay till day clean.”

The recent wake ended around midnight, as family and friends, who mostly hailed from Berbice, headed back home. However, while I did not know the deceased personally, it was clear to me that she was well-loved, as her family gathered from ‘far and wide’ to meet and greet, share food and drink and dance, all in celebration of a life well-lived.

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited.