Funerals are either State or family ceremonies done after a person dies, in his memory. It generally involves many customs and rites that are specific to the culture or religion of the one who passed away.
Usually, Christian funerals are sorted into three main heads - visitation, funeral, and burial. From a ritualistic point of view, visitation and funeral rituals have much more significance and they are discussed here.
The first and foremost ceremony is visitation wherein the body is put in a coffin for family and friends to see and pay their last respects to the departed. The body is dressed up in the finest attire and any jewels that belonged to the person who has died. Some cultures require embalming the body for the occasion, while others don't.
Some families prefer show snapshots from the life of the dead person during the visitation in the form of pictures and personal articles that were prized belongings of the deceased. Some people also play a video recording or run a slideshow in memory of the dead.
This part is then followed by the funeral, which is a memorial service that is usually conducted at the church. The coffin containing the dead body is put in a hearse and carried to the church along with a group of mourners, who follow the carriage. The casket is placed inside the church with an elegant floral arrangement on it.
Funeral services generally include prayers and recitals from the Bible or the Holy Scriptures. Devotional songs are also sung by the mourners in chorus. This is followed by a comforting speech delivered by the pastor presiding over the funeral service and eulogies by the friends and relatives, who then fondly recollect the deceased and his life. Though this is not a custom, but in some communities, people are allowed to see the body once before leaving the church for final burial. Church bells may be chimed both before and after the service.
Once the first two services are finished, the body is then taken into a vehicle for burial that comprises the last phase of the rituals.
Usually, Christian funerals are sorted into three main heads - visitation, funeral, and burial. From a ritualistic point of view, visitation and funeral rituals have much more significance and they are discussed here.
The first and foremost ceremony is visitation wherein the body is put in a coffin for family and friends to see and pay their last respects to the departed. The body is dressed up in the finest attire and any jewels that belonged to the person who has died. Some cultures require embalming the body for the occasion, while others don't.
Some families prefer show snapshots from the life of the dead person during the visitation in the form of pictures and personal articles that were prized belongings of the deceased. Some people also play a video recording or run a slideshow in memory of the dead.
This part is then followed by the funeral, which is a memorial service that is usually conducted at the church. The coffin containing the dead body is put in a hearse and carried to the church along with a group of mourners, who follow the carriage. The casket is placed inside the church with an elegant floral arrangement on it.
Funeral services generally include prayers and recitals from the Bible or the Holy Scriptures. Devotional songs are also sung by the mourners in chorus. This is followed by a comforting speech delivered by the pastor presiding over the funeral service and eulogies by the friends and relatives, who then fondly recollect the deceased and his life. Though this is not a custom, but in some communities, people are allowed to see the body once before leaving the church for final burial. Church bells may be chimed both before and after the service.
Once the first two services are finished, the body is then taken into a vehicle for burial that comprises the last phase of the rituals.
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