Funerals are family or State ceremonies held after a person dies, in his memory. It involves a set of rites and rituals that vary in accordance with the deceased's culture and belief system.
A majority of Christian funerals have rituals that can be categorized into three types of events - visitation, funeral and in the end, the burial. The funeral and visitation parts have greater significance from the ritualistic point of view and have been discussed here.
The first and foremost part is visitation wherein the body is put in a coffin for family and friends to see and bid their final adieu to the departed. The body is adorned in the finest attire and any jewels that belonged to the departed. Some cultures need anointing the deceased for the visitation, while others don't.
Some families like to display snapshots from the life of the dead person at visitation in the form of photos and personal articles that were prized belongings of the dead person. Some families also play a video recording or do a slideshow from the lifetime of the dead.
The visitation ceremony is followed by the next service, the memorial service, also known as funeral, and it is conducted in a church. The coffin is then brought to the church in a vehicle and the family and friends of the departed follow the vehicle. The coffin with its floral decoration is then housed inside the church.
Funeral services normally include chants and recitals from the Bible or the Holy Scriptures. The people assembled at the funeral also sing religious songs. The pastor presiding over the ceremony gives a comforting speech, and it is followed by tributes or eulogies given by relatives and close friends of the departed, who speak of the latter's merits and accomplishments. Sometimes, the people assembled are allowed to view the dead body for one last time before the burial. Church bells may be rung both before the service and after it.
The end of second part, which is the funeral, marks the commencement of the burial, which is the final stage of the proceedings, and the body is carried through a funeral cortege.
A majority of Christian funerals have rituals that can be categorized into three types of events - visitation, funeral and in the end, the burial. The funeral and visitation parts have greater significance from the ritualistic point of view and have been discussed here.
The first and foremost part is visitation wherein the body is put in a coffin for family and friends to see and bid their final adieu to the departed. The body is adorned in the finest attire and any jewels that belonged to the departed. Some cultures need anointing the deceased for the visitation, while others don't.
Some families like to display snapshots from the life of the dead person at visitation in the form of photos and personal articles that were prized belongings of the dead person. Some families also play a video recording or do a slideshow from the lifetime of the dead.
The visitation ceremony is followed by the next service, the memorial service, also known as funeral, and it is conducted in a church. The coffin is then brought to the church in a vehicle and the family and friends of the departed follow the vehicle. The coffin with its floral decoration is then housed inside the church.
Funeral services normally include chants and recitals from the Bible or the Holy Scriptures. The people assembled at the funeral also sing religious songs. The pastor presiding over the ceremony gives a comforting speech, and it is followed by tributes or eulogies given by relatives and close friends of the departed, who speak of the latter's merits and accomplishments. Sometimes, the people assembled are allowed to view the dead body for one last time before the burial. Church bells may be rung both before the service and after it.
The end of second part, which is the funeral, marks the commencement of the burial, which is the final stage of the proceedings, and the body is carried through a funeral cortege.
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