My girlfriend's Father-in-law died last week. This is a photo of the Church bulletin for his Funeral service.
Growing up, I wasn't familiar with the words - Funeral Repast (pronounced Repass). Later, after I moved South, I found it used often.
Repast, is a tradition within the old Southern African American community and it takes the potluck to the next level with an all-out,
sit-down spread that gives mourners an opportunity to gather and celebrate their loved one.
From the NOLA Times-Picayune:
Pepast is an elaborate post-funeral dining ritual, often laying out a spread of dishes that could feed a small army and keep the grieving family sated for weeks on end.
Southern staples are omnipresent after funerals, including ham biscuits, deviled eggs, jiggly congealed salads, a somorgesboard of casseroles,
sheet cakes, and locally appropriate one pot dishes such as jambalaya in New Orleans and frogmore stew (which does not, in fact, contain frogs)
in the South Carolina low country. A bevvy of mayonnaise based salads--from potato to egg--and rice concoctions also frequently line folding tables,
with friends and family of the deceased bringing their prized dishes to these potluck-style events.