Common Rituals And Traditions Of Funerals

Funerals throughout the world are governed by several customs, rites and rituals. Funeral offers an opportunity to the relatives of the deceased person to pray for his soul and come to terms with their loss and sorrow.

Christian funerals follow the rites of the Church. However, there are over 200 different Christian denominations and communities that have their own different practices and customs relating to the funeral ceremony.

The first most important tradition in a Christian funeral is the wake, which is held before the actual funeral service and where the dead is watched the entire night and Biblical psalms are read to pray for the departed soul. According to the present day rituals, this is when the family and acquaintances pay a last visit to the dead person and offer their final respects. The deceased is carefully preserved and placed either at the home or inside a Chapel with only a specified number of visiting hours. In the past, the second stage after wake used to be that of absolution, where a cross was put on the deceased\’s body and offertory, which carried the gifts offered by visitors, and the deceased was absolved of the sins committed during his earthly tenure.

Then comes the main ceremony, which begins with the bringing of the deceased\’s body to the Church in a coach and is followed by recitation of hymns and prayers from the Holy Bible. This is then succeeded by the clergy asking one of the close friends or a family member to read out a eulogy. Some of the communities follow this by a ritual of tolling of the bells, signifying the end of the ceremony. After the funeral service, the casket is carried to the burial site where a burial service is held before the act of burial.

Finally, the funeral\’s completion is marked by a mourners\’ lunch organised for the family and those present at the funeral ceremony. The main aim of such customs is to provide support to the grieving family and assist them to tide over their grief and resign themselves to the fate.

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