Nine-Night, also known as Dead Yard, is a funerary tradition originating from the Asante people of west Africa and practiced in several Caribbean countries (primarily Jamaica).
As tradition has it, on the ninth night the spirit of the deceased passes through the party gathering food and saying goodbye before continuing on to its resting place.
On the ninth night a table is set up under a tent with food for the loved one, though no one is allowed to eat from it before midnight, which is believed to be the time when the spirit passes through.
Traditionally on the ninth night of the deceased's death their bed and mattress are turned up against the wall, in order to encourage the spirit (Jamaican patois "duppy") to leave the house and enter the grave.
[2] In Trinidad and Tobago many Christians participate in a "wake" in the days leading up to the funeral service which resembles the 'nine night' traditions of other islands.