Washing your hands - with booze?

Curaçao's cemetery ritual often includes spirits of the liquid kind.

Learning History from Locals

While I adore researching cemeteries through books and archives, my world travel often brings opportunities to ask locals about their history and traditions in person. It’s helpful to get information so directly.

For example, when Gisela Monteiros explained the meaning of saudade to me in Portugal, it deepened my understanding of how grief and longing are expressed in different cultures.

Wash your hands with booze?

Meanwhile in Curaçao, I recently learned of a cultural tradition called “Laba Man,” which means “wash hands” in the island’s native tongue, Papiamento. After leaving a cemetery, it’s customary to wash your hands—but with a twist! This cleansing ritual often includes taking a shot of booze to help “purify” the hands and perhaps lighten the heart.

When I asked our guide, Jacqueline, if this was really true, she laughed and assured me that yes, “Laba Man” often includes a drink, and yes, there really is a funeral home on the island with an onsite bar! Talk about blending respect with a final toast to the departed.

Honestly, this seems like a tradition that could catch on in many places around the world!

Jacqueline explains it best!

Below is a short video of Jacqueline explaining Curaçao’s interesting cemetery tradition of “Laba Man,” which often includes drinking a shot of booze: