The issue of simplifying funeral ceremonies in Azerbaijan has been widely discussed in society in recent years. In several regions, certain rules have already been implemented in this regard, and steps are being taken to prevent extravagance and ostentatious ceremonies. In particular, the issue of funeral tables being excessively rich and varied, as well as the modification of funeral menus, is also coming to the fore, leading to different approaches in society.
In this context, the necessity of changing the menus offered at funeral ceremonies, as well as the question of which menu formats might be considered more appropriate, becomes a subject of discussion.
In a statement to Modern.az, Fazil Mustafa, Chairman of the Milli Majlis Committee on Public Associations and Religious Organizations, stated that he believes it is not appropriate to interfere excessively with these menus:
“People in the regions are gradually starting to make such decisions themselves. Therefore, I believe that working on this issue down to the details is not very appropriate.
In this direction, more serious discussions, enlightenment, and propaganda work should be carried out. As for how the menu should be compiled, the main thing is that menus should be organized in a simple and light form. This approach, in my opinion, is satisfactory. People will also receive this with understanding. Such simplified rules have already begun to be applied in many places,” the committee chairman added.
Jeyhun Mammadov, a member of the Parliament's Committee on Public Associations and Religious Organizations, noted that the topic has been widely discussed in Azerbaijani society for a long time and is now causing serious concern. According to him, the process shows that people are dissatisfied with the conduct of funeral ceremonies in such a complex and costly manner.
“Regarding the menu issue, it should be noted that there is no tradition in Islam of setting a special table and serving food at funeral ceremonies. From a religious perspective, the mourning period is a maximum of three days. Generally, according to custom, food should not be cooked in the home of the grieving family; instead, people should bring food to them as a form of support.
Today, however, numerous sweets, candies, gogals, sweet breads, and various dishes are arranged on tables at funeral ceremonies. All of these require significant financial resources and ultimately increase the overall cost considerably. Yet, there is no need for such a variety.”
The MP believes that, at the initial stage, steps should be taken to at least remove various sweets and additional dishes from the table:
“A tea table might suffice. Because such expenses put people into debt, even forcing them to take out loans.
For this reason, serious reforms are needed in funeral menus. Non-essential dishes and sweets should be removed from the menu so that people can hold funeral ceremonies without experiencing financial hardship. Otherwise, we may witness this problem deepening further,” C. Mammadov concluded.
