Funeral Traditions And Rituals

There are lot of rituals and traditions that govern funerals throughout the world. It is at the funerals that the near and dear ones make peace with the fate and pray for the departed’s soul.

Christian funerals are performed according to the Church rules. However, there are more than 200 different Christian denominations and communities that have their own different customs and rituals relating to the funeral service.

An important ceremony of a Christian funeral, called wake, is the very first ritual that is performed before the real funeral and involves a nightly watch over the deceased and recital of prayers for the eternal peace of his soul. According to the present day rituals, this is when the relatives and acquaintances pay a last visit to the dead person and offer their final respects. The body is preserved and placed either at the residence or inside a Chapel with only a particular number of visiting hours. In earlier days, the second stage after wake used to be that of absolution, where a cross was placed on the deceased’s body and offertory, which carried the presents given by visitors, and the deceased was absolved of the sins committed during his earthly tenure.

Then comes the actual ceremony, which starts with the transportation of the deceased’s body to the Church in a hearse and is followed by recitation of hymns and prayers from the Holy Bible. Then, the priest requests a dear friend or family member to give a public eulogy in honour of the deceased. Some of the communities follow this by a ritual of ringing of the bells, marking the end of the service. Following the funeral service, the casket is taken to the burial site where a burial service is held before the act of burial.

Lastly, the funeral’s end is marked by a lunch organised for the family and those present at the funeral service. The primary purpose of such customs is to provide support to the mourning family and assist them to overcome their grief and accept the fate.

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