Funeral Traditions And Rituals
Funerals across the world are characterized by a many traditions and rituals. It is at the funerals that the near and dear ones make peace with the fate and pray for the departed’s soul.
Church rules regulate the funeral rites in Christian communities. However, given the fact that there are over 200 denominations of Christian communities, the rituals can vary depending on the affiliation of the family.
An important ceremony of a Christian funeral, known as wake, is the first and foremost custom that is performed before the real funeral and involves watching over the dead person and recital of Biblical psalms for the peace of his soul. According to present day practices, this is the time where friends and family see the deceased for the final time and offer their heartfelt respects. The body is properly preserved and housed either inside a Church or at the house, and the time of visit is specified. In earlier days, the second stage after wake used to be that of absolution, where a cross was put on the dead person’s chest and offertory, which held the presents given by visitors, and the deceased was ritually absolved of the sins committed during his earthly tenure.
Then begins the real service itself, where the deceased is first transported to the Church in a vehicle and prayers from the Holy Bible are said and prayers are sung in the church. This is then succeeded by the clergy requesting one of the close friends or family to read out a eulogy. In certain cases funeral traditions include the tolling of bells to signify the end of the service. Following the funeral proceedings, the casket is taken to the burial place where a burial service is held before the act of burial.
Lastly, the family members organize a lunch for the friends, relatives and acquaintances who are attending the funeral. The main aim of such rituals is to provide support to the mourning family and help them tide over their grief and resign themselves to the fate.
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