Hmong Service

Hmong Funerals

The Hmong culture see the death of a loved one as an important part of life. Of course death is not a joyous occasion, but marks “the transition for the human soul.”

A typical Hmong funeral lasts for three days and nights. A funeral of this length means that the deceased is a well-respected person and has lived a wonderful life. The family members of the deceased will stay at the funeral home for the entirety of the three days and nights and comfort each other. When entering into a funeral home, you may see lots of heart-shaped and circular-shaped memorials made from the paper money, money that is of no use to humans but is valuable in the afterlife.



The family members are required to nyiav, to mourn for the deceased. Even if no tears develop, they must make the sounds of crying, for this shows respect for the deceased. At the end of the three-day long funeral, the deceased person is buried and all of the decorations made of paper money are burned so that the deceased person will go to a new place with the resources necessary for a comfortable life.

Hmong tradition teaches that when persons pass away, they will go back and visit each place that they have been to, with the last destination being their birthplace. Thus when the txiv xaiv chants, the deceased will be able to hear his voice and take the correct journey home.