A coffin might be your most lasting purchase -- so shouldn't it make a lasting impression?
Craftsmen in the African nation of Ghana have gained international acclaim for their flashy, custom-built coffins, which are individually designed to resemble an object with special meaning to the person who died.
From gigantic hammers and oversize snails to comically large cell phones and humongous pineapples, the caskets made by the Ga tribe are very personalized.
The coffins are often large-scale representations of objects that held significance to the deceased, or items indicative of the field in which they worked, such as a car for a driver or a sewing machine for a seamstress, according to GhanaWeb.com.
The coffins aren't just a tribute to the person who died -- they also represent the person's social status and are believed to serve as a home in the afterlife. So it's no surprise that families spend hundreds of dollars for specially made caskets shaped like Nike sneakers, roosters or Coca-Cola bottles.
The tradition of designing custom coffins dates back about six decades, when a village chief hired craftsman Ata Owoo to make an elaborate chair shaped like an eagle, the BBC reported.
Link with pictures: http://www.aolnews.com/weird-news/a...fins-celebrate-the-lives-of-the-dead/19688782
Craftsmen in the African nation of Ghana have gained international acclaim for their flashy, custom-built coffins, which are individually designed to resemble an object with special meaning to the person who died.
From gigantic hammers and oversize snails to comically large cell phones and humongous pineapples, the caskets made by the Ga tribe are very personalized.
The coffins are often large-scale representations of objects that held significance to the deceased, or items indicative of the field in which they worked, such as a car for a driver or a sewing machine for a seamstress, according to GhanaWeb.com.
The coffins aren't just a tribute to the person who died -- they also represent the person's social status and are believed to serve as a home in the afterlife. So it's no surprise that families spend hundreds of dollars for specially made caskets shaped like Nike sneakers, roosters or Coca-Cola bottles.
The tradition of designing custom coffins dates back about six decades, when a village chief hired craftsman Ata Owoo to make an elaborate chair shaped like an eagle, the BBC reported.
Link with pictures: http://www.aolnews.com/weird-news/a...fins-celebrate-the-lives-of-the-dead/19688782
