Funeral Traditions And Rituals
There are many rituals and traditions that characterize funerals across the world. Funeral provides a chance to the family of the deceased to pray for him and learn to cope with their loss and sorrow.
Church rules regulate the rites of funerals in Christian communities. However, considering the fact that there are over 200 denominations of Christian communities, the traditions can change according to the particular allegiance of the family.
The first most important tradition in a Christian funeral is the wake, which is held before the actual funeral service and where the deceased is watched the entire night and Biblical psalms are read to pray for the dead. According to the present day customs, this is when the relatives and acquaintances pay a last visit to the dead person and offer homage for the last time. The body is either laid at the house or at Church and the time of paying visit is fixed according to prescribed norms. In olden days, the deceased was sought to be absolved of his sins of his earthly existence by carrying out the process of absolution after wake. This included placing a cross on the deceased’s body and offertory in the casket, where presents were kept.
Next stage is the actual service itself in which the deceased is put into a coach and taken to the Church, where the clergy and others recite prayers and hymns from the Bible. Then, the priest requests a friend or family member to give a public eulogy in honour of the deceased. Some of the communities follow this by a ritual of tolling of the bells, marking the end of the ceremony. Then the casket with the deceased’s body is transported to the burial place for the last set of rituals, called the burial service which precedes the burying.
Finally, funeral traditions need a lunch gathering to be organized after the burial service. The primary aim of such customs is to provide support to the grieving family and help them tide over their grief and resign themselves to the fate.
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Posted: June 9th, 2010 under Business.
Tags: Buddhist, Business, Catholic, funeral, funeral services, spirituality, undertakers