Manama: Kuwait’s Municipality said that it would continue to allow evening burials until September in order to help mourners avoid the daytime scorching heat.
“The measure is part of the municipality’s keenness on easing the process for the relatives of the deceased and for the mourners attending the funeral,” Faisal Al Awadhi, head of the funeral affairs department at the municipality, was quoted as saying by Kuwait News Agency (Kuna).
The official said the timing for the morning funerals for those who opt for burying their deceased early on the day would not be changed and would remain at 9am.
The evening prayers were introduced after several people complained they could not attend funeral processions when temperatures soared beyond 40 degree Celsius. They said people, especially the elderly, faced problems venturing out in the afternoon and often suffered exhaustion. The post-sundown burials would spare mourners the intensity of the heat, they said.
Funeral rituals that include short prayers and the exchange of condolences could last more than one hour if a large number of people turn out to offer their sympathies.
The municipality in Ramadan last month allowed mourners to bury their dead at 10pm.
“Due to high temperatures and in order to facilitate services and relieve mourners during prayers and burial, it was decided to add the evening time as an option,” Al Awadhi said.
“Families can choose when to bury their deceased relatives. The department has provided all facilities, including floodlights and movable air-conditioned shades. For the afternoon prayers, an ambulance was provided by the Ministry of Health.”
Some families ruled out the late burial option amid concerns that many people might not feel comfortable going to a graveyard in the evening.
Al Awadhi said that 143 evening burials occurred in Ramadan throughout the cemeteries of Kuwait.
