Do More People Die During a Full Moon?

The full moon gets blamed for all kinds of nonsense: spates of weirdness or bad luck, general craziness, psychosis. Busy emergency rooms. Increased fatalities. Freak accidents. People are quick to blame a full moon for crimes, mischief, and general bad behavior; there have even been studies into whether car and motorcycle wrecks coincide with the full phase of the moon.

Also, obviously, there’s the werewolf thing.

Fact or fiction?

We the people believe it in droves — anecdotal evidence in the media has supported the phenomenon, and urban legends run a bit wild on the subject. The idea that a full moon pulls on our sanity like it does on the ocean’s tides has a deep and ancient roots. At one point, there was even a (short-lived) law in Britain accounting for the moon’s effects on criminal behavior. Victorian physicians believed that the moon’s fullness could affect the “humors of the body,” reporting spikes in admissions to asylums during its full phase. And don’t forget the word “lunatic” derives from luna, the Latin word for moon.

In death care, the belief of the full moon imposing a death toll persists not because of superstition, but because of experience: first responders, hospital personnel, and funeral professionals alike have attested to an almost predictable uptick in fatalities during a full moon. When this stage of the lunar cycle coincides with odd calls and strange circumstances, such events seem more pronounced.

Maybe we joke about it. But we also check the night sky.

Science the skeptic

Is it reassuring to know that scientific studies do not — so far — implicate the moon, but also do not exclude the possibility of its role in certain sort of “mischief” in human biology?

Homicides, ER activity, and natural deaths have been the basis of research seeking to answer the question of the moon’s effects on human behavior. Findings have, to date, pretty consistently exonerated the moon: thousands of cases of deaths (including suicides) and violent crimes show no relationship with the lunar cycle. Spikes appear due to chance clustering or human error in reporting.

For those whose lives run in close proximity to life’s end, the persistence of this perception is part pattern recognition. Seeing such regularities is a survival skill, if not always an accurate one. But when your business is literally death, such super-honed spidey senses can come with the job. Let’s call that a perk .

As humans, we’re all more likely to pick up the out-of-the-ordinary than we are its absence, when things plug along business as usual. A night of chaos on the full moon is more memorable than a peaceful one.

This isn’t superstition. There’s an instinct-based phenomenon at work when one suspects an eerie link between some event and a full moon. Also, don’t forget the full moon has a vibe: light, shadows, midnight calls — everything gets imbued with its innate silver force. For graveyard shift workers and embalmers, the night’s texture seems touched by the hand of the uncanny.

Understanding these beliefs

There’s practical value in knowing the belief in the power of full moon is pervasive even without an objectively proven basis. Client families may wish to hold cultural ceremonies around the moon’s phases; pagan and folk traditions consider the moon’s full aspect transitional, a portal between states. Recognizing the importance of the natural world’s role can inform cultural sensitivity.

So maybe we can’t prove that the full moon can be fatal. It still shapes our experience. The full moon’s indisputable effects on atmosphere, mood and expectation requires no studies.

Whatever influence the moon has, death care’s work schedule will remain reliable.

Noodle to Die For: Chinese Funeral Home Cracks Down on Fake Mourners Chasing Legendary Funeral Food

Funeral food—it’s a tradition as old as the act of mourning itself. Whether it’s ham biscuits in the South, casseroles in the Midwest, or those oddly comforting finger sandwiches that seem to appear at every memorial service, food has always been a way to bring people together in times of loss. But in China, one funeral home’s reputation for serving up next-level noodles has created an unexpected problem—mourners who aren’t actually mourning.

Yes, you read that right. Dedicated foodies have been crashing funerals, donning somber attire, and bowing their heads just long enough to pass as grieving guests—all for a shot at slurping down some of the best noodles in town.

Now, the funeral home has had enough and is cracking down on these so-called “culinary mourners.” But this bizarre phenomenon raises a bigger question: just how important is food in the funeral experience? And could America’s funeral homes take a page from this (albeit slightly sketchy) playbook?

How a Funeral Home Became a Foodie Destination

In China, like in many parts of the world, funerals are often accompanied by a meal. It’s a way to honor the dead, support the grieving family, and, let’s be honest, provide some much-needed comfort carbs in a difficult moment.

This particular funeral home, located in Jiangxi province, became famous not just for its services, but for its ridiculously good food—specifically, its noodles. Word spread, and suddenly, the bereaved weren’t the only ones showing up for a bowl.

Reports say that some of these noodle-obsessed intruders weren’t even subtle. People were arriving at services dressed in dark clothing, hanging in the back during ceremonies, and then conveniently finding their way to the dining hall as if they’d just lost their dearest Uncle Li.

And while funeral homes are typically places of quiet reflection, staff started noticing the same “mourners” popping up again and again. Something had to give.

Funeral Food: A Global Tradition

This noodle-fueled fiasco highlights something funeral professionals already know: food and grief are inseparable.

In the U.S., funeral meals are a time-honored tradition. Think about it: the post-service meal is often one of the few moments where families actually sit, exhale, and share stories. And funeral homes, especially those embracing hospitality, are starting to see the value in incorporating food services into their offerings.

Consider these facts:

• In the South, the “funeral spread” is a thing of legend. Fried chicken, mac and cheese, and at least three different types of pie are almost mandatory.
• In the Midwest, it’s casseroles all the way down. A grieving family could live off lasagna and tater tot hotdish for weeks after a well-attended funeral.
• Jewish shivas offer comfort in the form of bagels, brisket, and kugel.
• Black funeral traditions in the U.S. often feature soul food staples—collard greens, cornbread, and, of course, fried fish.
• Italian-American funerals? Just assume someone’s rolling in with a tray of baked ziti.

A 2022 survey found that nearly 80% of Americans associate food with their memories of a funeral. And with the growing trend of “celebration of life” services, funeral catering is becoming more popular than ever.

Could Funeral Home Dining Be the Next Big Thing?

Now, no one’s suggesting that funeral homes in the U.S. start luring in paying customers with Michelin-starred pot roasts, but the reality is: food matters.

Some forward-thinking funeral homes are already exploring ways to incorporate dining into their services:

• Greene’s Funeral Home in South Carolina has a small in-house kitchen that provides light refreshments for grieving families.
• A funeral home in Minnesota recently renovated to include a full bar, allowing families to toast their loved ones with a bourbon instead of just black coffee.
• Some funeral homes partner with local caterers, offering families full meal packages as part of the service planning.

So, while China’s noodle-loving gatecrashers might be taking things a bit too far, they’re also proving a point: great food has a way of bringing people together—even in grief.

The Verdict: A Bowl of Noodles Is One Thing, But Boundaries Matter

The Chinese funeral home in question has since put measures in place to prevent these grief groupies from taking advantage of the system. Reports indicate that staff are now carefully monitoring attendance and may require proof of relation to the deceased before anyone can step into the dining area.

For the funeral professionals reading this, take this as a lesson in how much people value the communal aspect of funerals—and how food is often at the heart of that experience.

Because whether it’s a steaming bowl of Chinese noodles, a plate of Southern fried chicken, or a casserole from a well-meaning neighbor, one thing is clear: people come for the funeral, but they stay for the food.

And maybe, just maybe, that’s something funeral homes should embrace—minus the noodle bandits, of course.

In today’s busy world, people are always busy, on the go, and have returned to a pretty full pace of traveling for work and play. The days when we were all mostly shut-in to our homes hunkered down have passed and we now battle incredible heat surges to be out and about. As a result we spend a lot of time under pressure of travel. Weather has caused so many delays in our travel but one thing is certain, the minute we think we’ve thought of everything in our pre-trip planning, there’s always the unexpected.

For those of us who’ve just returned from a Labor Day’s trip someplace, the final holiday before school semesters begin in earnest as well as awaiting Thanksgiving break, it represents a last hurrah of summer and a hopeful anticipation to rain and cooler temperatures that are never as welcome as they are at this time for all of us here.

However, people still have not made a complete return to a typical fall when temperatures are soaring in the 105s and above. During travel, there is always a possibility that someone might pass away unexpectedly. Whether the person is a loved one, back at home, or whether they are the one traveling, the possibility exists. Have you stopped to think about what would happen if you passed away during a vacation?

Would people know your final wishes? Where are they recorded or saved among your personal items? Do your loved ones know where to look? How recently have you updated your preferences? This is one edge of the chances we take every day when we are traveling away from home. What happens if you are 500 miles away from your future burial site? How does that work?

If you have had the opportunity to preplan your funeral arrangements then you may have noticed the opportunity on the forms to select “travel insurance” whereby there is no additional fee to your family to have your taken into the care of a funeral home wherever you are and then transported back to your home town for final burial plans.

Although this is the least likely possible thing you think might happen, it is indeed a possibility that it could happen. And, the minute that you don’t plan for a contingency, there it is. Unfortunately, if this small area is not part of your preplanning, then your family might find itself saddled with an unexpected (and large) expense, depending on how far away from home you might have been when the death occurs.

Also, the relative expense of including it in preplanning costs is so much less a financial burden. And that is why we recommend preplanning so often to our families who are beginning to think about their legacies and final plans.

Another area of contingency is the simple knowledge of your immediate family on where to find your most important papers at critical times. It is often the one conversational topic that people go to extraordinary lengths to avoid. In the best of circumstances, family members of all ages need to have “that talk” with loved ones of adult and higher ages. It takes the mystery and uncertainty out of the equation to have preplanned at least the collection of important papers and documents that are needed when a loved one passes away.

These documents of course include birth certificates, records of military service, academic credentials, genealogy files showing the family tree with ancestor’s names, the family Bible with details about individuals that will go forgotten if not recorded.

One good plan leads to another. Contingencies in life as are as normal as changes in the weather. It’s when you don’t have a plan that things should really be scary for people. Not knowing what your loved one would have wanted is so painful after they pass away because you’re left not knowing what they preferred, what they really wanted, and you can easily freeze up and not make any decisions at all, if you have not had “that talk” with those you love.

There’s also no reason to think that just because you make the plans early that they will need to be completed one day earlier than the actual day that your life will end. There is often a subconscious fear we have that if we ever start thinking about our passing away, that we will. Although it’s easy to laugh and say “no, that doesn’t happen,” it’s the honest reason some people say to us that they didn’t want to come in and discuss preplanning sooner.

However, once they attend one of our group informational sessions and see what all the options are, the reality is that the concept of planning ahead is not at all something to be feared. In fact, there are genuine economic benefits to planning early, especially when you consider the aspect of the preplan that allows a no-additional expense feature.

Another factor that is often forgotten is the feeling of peace of mind that happens once plans are made and they can easily drift into things you don’t have to think about anymore, once all decisions have been made. That’s the real beauty of planning ahead for your final affairs.

Also, once you begin to travel, you won’t worry about anything else. You can feel peace of mind that should something happen to your senior loved ones while you are away on holiday, you can count on us to take care of things until you return home. We are here for you, all the time. That’s the peace of mind of preplanning. We offer regular meet and greet informational lunches and dinners that are scheduled, usually once each month. To receive an invitation to our next free event, please call us at (979) 822-3717 and ask to be placed on our list.