The funeral of Wadih George Wassouf, singing and dancing with the coffin that carries his body, sparked a state of controversy. Many saw that these manifestations were not commensurate with the intense state of grief and vulnerability that accompanied his death, especially the impact of his father - who is called the "Sultan of Tarab" - and his family, friends, and public and artistic figures. .

However, the young man, who died a few days ago as a result of complications from gastric sleeve surgery, is not the first to be bid farewell to singing and dancing, as a number of other celebrities in Lebanon also preceded him.

#Watch the funeral of Wadih, son of the artist, George Wassouf, on his father's songs.

pic.twitter.com/Qh6XG3FPNP

- Al-Madar News (@AlMadarNow) January 8, 2023

The "blackbird" Sabah - who passed away from our world in 2014 - her funeral was held to the tunes of the Lebanese Dabkeh, and her family scattered roses over her body in the car.

Her funeral was accompanied by a dance troupe, in which a group of men performed dances while carrying the coffin, and her family wore black suits with white stripes, which also raised eyebrows at the time.

justify and clarify

And the artist, Rola Saad, had said in previous television statements that organizing the funeral in the form of a wedding is a "natural matter", as many consider that death is a right and the world is just a visit, and that real life will be in the other world.

However, she said, "The bird dances slaughtered in pain, and not everyone who dances is happy, and not everyone who cries is sad."

Also, two years after Sabah's funeral, Melhem Barakat's funeral witnessed dancing and singing from his relatives and friends who bid farewell to his body to the tunes of his song "Habibi You", and some musicians and singers were hired, and he was buried in a white suit according to his will.

With dancing and drums as well, the artist Najwa Karam bid farewell to her brother Nicholas Karam, who died months after Melhem Barakat, and his body was buried by dancing in his coffin to the tunes of music and songs and firing fireworks.

And last year, specifically in August 2022, the family of the artist George Al-Rassi, who died in a traffic accident in Lebanon, also bid him farewell to a wedding presented by a musical group.

The mass of the late Lebanese artist was held in the Church of Saints Sargius and Bacchus, and his mother appeared carrying his clothes and dancing with them, despite her appearance in a state of collapse and crying.

His sisters, Nadine, Sandra, and his brother Sebastian also appeared, dancing around the casket with the audience, to the rhythm of the late singer's song "You Are Love", and the exit of his body was accompanied by bullets fired by some of those present, before the entry of the late singer's mother and sisters, who were in a state of collapse and crying intensely.

#Lebanon 🇱🇧

Funeral # Wadih_George_Wassouf in the presence of #George_Wassouf bidding farewell to his son with his famous song “Farewell Day” pic.twitter.com/KIFZexGniC

— 👨🏻🇰🇼sahab Sahab 🇰🇼 サハブ👨🏻 (@sahabnews1) January 8, 2023

Habit and weather or phenomenon?

The repetition of dancing and singing in farewell to the dead raised questions and debates about whether it was a habit and a ritual or a phenomenon that had spread in recent years, in light of the accompanying drums, dancing and chants of funerals.

The poet Mina Magdy said in exclusive statements to an Egyptian website after the funeral of Wadih George Wassouf, commenting on the relationship between dancing at the funeral with Christian rituals and their sects: “The funeral rituals and prayers of all Christian sects are sacred and have their reverence, and on this basis I say that what happened at the funeral The funeral of the late singer George Al-Rassi has nothing to do with rituals. What we witnessed previously took place at the funeral of the late artist Sabah, and that was based on her personal will because she was a lover of life, and it is possible that this was also the nature of the late George Al-Rassi.

And he indicated that "the nature of society in Lebanon is somewhat different from the rest of the Arab societies. The ceremonies that we witnessed at the funeral are unusual for the general public, and are also unacceptable because they are against the sanctity of death."

The funeral of Wadih George Wassouf between dancing and crying .. Full details with Saeed Hariri, the Lebanese journalist# Last_word @lameesh# Wadih_George_Wassouf # Wadih_Wassouf pic.twitter.com/o7h6jpj9Um

— ON (@ONTVEgy) January 8, 2023

Habits and differences

Funeral customs and the last look at the deceased differ from one country to another, according to religious rituals and social customs.

In the Pharaonic era of ancient Egypt, music and dance were a means of expressing grief that accompanied funerals to the door of the cemetery.

In a different way and with different rhythms, dancing and singing appeared at funerals in some countries of the Levant, such as Lebanon and Syria, where the atmosphere of drums, singing and dancing sometimes prevails that accompany the coffins to their coffins as a sign of joy at the wedding of the deceased to heaven, mixed with sadness at his departure.