Where people don’t shave until the burial rituals are complete

The event, which attracts hundreds of family and friends, is a fest [Photo: Shutterstock]

For some of the major sub-tribes of the Mijikenda community in coastal Kenya, the funeral is only the beginning of the wait for a very ancient ceremony popularly known as msiba. The msiba is a ritual that commemorates the life of the deceased and celebrates their passage as their spirit reunites with the ancestors.

The msiba is mostly done for deceased adult males or females who left families behind. There is no specific time the msiba is done after the funeral of the loved one; it all depends on the family’s financial abilities. This celebration can either be done for one deceased person or for several members of the family who died.