Few people get to see their own funeral - most people die before the ceremony begins. Nevertheless, there are times when people manage to look at this action from the outside - of their own free will or a strange coincidence, as, for example, in the case of these five people.
Felix Bush Brazal
Felix Brazal had been planning his funeral for five years. He had practically no friends, he was never married, so he really wanted to hear what the preacher had to say about him. His bizarre funeral in 1938 attracted widespread public attention.
They were attended by 8 thousand people, a sale of hot dogs and soft drinks was organized, and the general atmosphere was more like a carnival.
The main "hero of the occasion" arrived at his funeral, sitting next to the driver of the hearse. With the help of the soldiers, he walked to the place where his coffin stood, sat down next to him and listened to the preacher's eulogies.
After the “funeral”, hundreds of people approached him, shook hands and signed autographs. He was very pleased with the procession and even said that this was the best event he attended. Brazal died in 1943. At his request, no more ceremonies were held.
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Noela Rukundo
Australian Noela Rukundo traveled to her home country of Burundi to attend her stepmother's funeral. After the ceremony, she returned to her hotel, where she lay down to rest and dozed off. She was awakened by a phone call from her husband. The woman complained to him about feeling unwell and he advised her to go outside and take a walk in the fresh air. Noela followed her husband's advice.
She left the hotel grounds and suddenly saw a man with a pistol heading towards her. He dragged her into the car, where two other men were sitting. They took her to an abandoned building and tied her to a chair, after which they asked why her husband wanted to kill her. The woman did not believe them until they dialed her husband's phone number and he ordered them to finish her off through the receiver.
While the kidnappers were discussing how they would kill her, Noela fainted. When she regained consciousness, one of the kidnappers said that he would not touch her, since he did not kill women and children. Two days later she was released and given a flash drive with a recording of telephone conversations with her husband.
Three days later, the woman returned to Australia. Her husband told family and friends that she died in a car accident and even arranged a funeral. When the ceremony was almost over, Noela approached her husband. The man was horrified, but slowly approached her with the words "I apologize for everything."
Noela went to the police, and her husband fully admitted his guilt and received nine years in prison. The man named Noela's intention to leave him as the reason for his action, although the woman denied everything.
Zhang Deyan
Zhang Deyan never married or had children, so he worried a lot about his afterlife. The Chinese believe that in the next world a person has the same needs as on earth. The family should organize a funeral and visit the deceased's grave regularly. The man was afraid that after death no one would take care of him.
In 2016, he organized a "trial" funeral, attended by about 40 of his relatives and a couple of hundred curious residents of the surrounding villages. Zhang was delighted with the ceremony. He liked, albeit feigned, the grief of his loved ones and their heads bowed at his grave. At the end of the ceremony, he was so emotional that he even jumped into his fake grave.
The man's “funeral” also included a “wedding” with a dead woman who was also unlucky enough to travel to the afterlife without a spouse.
Ademir Gonsalves
Several relatives have identified Ademir Gonsalves in the remains of a man who died in a car accident. Although it was difficult to identify the corpse by the appearance of the corpse, the clothes were similar to those worn by Gonsalves.
His family began preparations for the funeral, which was to take place the next day.
The man's body was placed in a coffin and many relatives came to pay their last tribute to Ademir. The mother of the deceased looked at the coffin for a long time and could not believe that her son was inside.
And she looked into the water: he was not there. Her son spent the night with friends, drinking and heart-to-heart talk. It never even occurred to him that the family thought he was dead. Ademir did not hear about his funeral until they took place. He immediately rushed to prove to his relatives that he was alive, which terribly scared them - especially impressionable ones even tried to jump out the window.
Timothy Dexter
The eccentric millionaire Timothy Dexter, who lived in the 18th century, really wanted to know what people thought of him.
He decided to hide, hold a mock funeral and see how his family and friends behave. Dexter sent out notices of his death, and his family invited people to the funeral.
More than 3,000 people attended the ceremony. The family of the "deceased" met the mourners and escorted them inside the house where the coffin stood. The man hired by the man to play the preacher read a long eulogy, which, incidentally, was written by Dexter himself. After the false priest finished speaking, the empty coffin was taken out into the garden and buried.
The guests proceeded to a memorial dinner, but soon the meal was interrupted by a strange noise coming from the kitchen. When the guests opened the door, they saw that Dexter was fighting with his wife - in his opinion, she didn't cry sincerely enough at the ceremony!