Rites And Rituals Common To Funeral Services
A lot of traditions and rituals characterize funerals from around the world. It is at the funerals that loved ones finally accept the fate and pray for their departed loved one’s soul.
Church rules govern Christian funerals. There are over 200 different Christian denominations and offshoots, each having their own unique funeral customs and rituals.
An important ritual of a Christian funeral, called wake, is the very first custom that is carried out before the actual funeral and involves a nightly watch over the deceased and recital of Biblical psalms for the eternal peace of his soul. According to present day traditions, this is the time where acquaintances and family members see the deceased for the last time and pay their heartfelt homage. The body is preserved and housed either in a Church or at the residence, and the time is specified. In old times, the wake was succeeded by absolution, which involved purgation of the person of all the sins he or she committed in the present life, and placing a cross on the chest and performing the ritual of offertory where visitors placed gifts in the casket.
Then comes the actual ceremony, which begins with the transportation of the deceased’s body to the Church in a hearse and is succeeded by chanting of hymns and prayers from the Bible. Following this, the priest asks a relative or a friend to give a eulogy before the body is buried. In certain cases funeral traditions include the tolling of bells to mark the end of the ceremony. Once the funeral service is over, the casket with the body is transported to the burial site and burial service is held before the body is laid to rest by burying.
Lastly, the funeral’s completion is marked by a mourners’ lunch organised for the family members and those present during the funeral service. The main aim of this custom is to partake in the grief of the family and support them so that they can come to terms with the loss.
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