America is often referred to as a “melting pot” of cultures. We are privileged to have access to experiences that provide a peek into the cultures of other countries and continents. The same holds true in Houston, where the city prides itself on providing citizens and visitors alike with a variety of cross-cultural experiences. Did you know more than 80 different languages are spoken in Houston? It’s no wonder there’s a plethora of eateries serving dishes from all over the world as well as an annual international festival designed to celebrate, educate and unite on a variety of cultures.

  The National Museum of Funeral History embraces Houston’s international flavor and offers a variety of “trips” to international destinations without having to travel far. When museum visitors step into the Museum’s “International Hall,” they find themselves transported to a whole new world as they engage with exhibits like A Life Well Lived: Fantasy Coffins from Ghana, Dia De Los Muertos and beyond.

  What exactly is a “fantasy” coffin? The origin story is an interesting one: in the 1950s, a talented Ghanaian artist named Kane Quaye (also known as Seth Kane Kwe) created a customized palanquin for the village chief to be carried around in a cocoa pod-shaped, human-powered vehicle during an upcoming festival. However, the chief died before the festival, so he was buried in it instead. Since then, it has become a Ghanaian tradition, in addition to their original lavish customs following death, to customize brightly colored and intricately designed coffins for the dead that capture the essence of the departed -- whether a character trait, an occupation, a symbol of one’s standing in the community or what they hope to achieve in the afterlife. For example, a prosperous individual might be buried in a coffin shaped like a luxury vehicle; a fisherman’s coffin might be shaped like a trout; a brave persona might be buried in a tiger-shaped container, etc.

  To the people of Ghana, West Africa, death is not an end, but a transition to the spiritual realm of their ancestors. In fact, ancestors are forever considered members of the family. It is believed if the deceased is properly honored, such actions secure spiritual favor for the family left on earth.

  The National Museum of Funeral History, which has the largest collection of fantasy coffins outside of Ghana, West Africa, showcases 12 remarkable, artfully sculpted coffins imported from Accra, Ghana, that depict a KLM airliner, a Mercedes Benz, a fish, a canoe, a leopard, a chicken, a bull, a crab, an eagle, a lobster, a shallot and a Yamaha outboard motor. Visitors will enjoy speculating as to the types of people these coffins might reflect while admiring the unique artistry of West Africa.

  Similar to Ghana’s elaborate funeral traditions, the memorial ceremonies of Japan are among the most expensive in the world. In the Japanese Funerals exhibit, also located in “International Hall,” the Museum provides visitors with a rare opportunity to explore some of the fascinating customs surrounding death in the Far East. Visitors discover the most common method of treating the deceased, the formal gift-giving practices and the Japanese family’s unique ritual in handling a loved one’s cremated remains. The “crown jewel” of the exhibit is a 1972 Toyota Crown ceremonial hearse that often “wows” museum-goers. Decked out with intricate designs in gold and hand-carved wood, the reverence of the Japanese for the dead is obvious to all who visit this historical gem at the National Museum of Funeral History.

  Other cultures to explore in “International Hall” include the Mexican culture in the Dia de los Muertos exhibit; the German culture, through two antique horse-drawn funeral carriages featuring etched glass, hand-carved panels and unique wheels that cant inwards to navigate the cobblestone streets; and England, through a vintage motorized Rolls Royce hearse that was originally a flat-bed pickup truck before being converted to a funeral coach (a common practice many years ago); and more.

  Finally, visitors can round out their cultural sampling in Italy through the Celebrating the Lives and Deaths of the Popes exhibit, which transports museum-goers to Vatican City in Rome and explores the traditions and customs surrounding the death of a pope. This 5,000 square-foot exhibit, created in collaboration with the Vatican, features unique pieces like authentic Swiss Guard uniforms, a Popemobile (now a Saintmobile!) used by Saint John Paul II in 1982 when he toured the United Kingdom, and a full-scale replica of John Paul II’s original crypt, so uncanny that when the Pope’s tailor, Roberto Casorssi, saw it he exclaimed, “Perfecto! Perfecto! Perfecto! If I didn’t know I was in Houston, I would have thought I was back in Rome attending the funeral of Pope John Paul once again!”

  The National Museum of Funeral History is your go-to place for an educational “staycation” that will leave you enriched with cultural knowledge. Take a trip around the world right here in Houston and experience the many different ways cultures and societies all around the world pay tribute to a life once lived.