Several Common Rituals In Christian Funerals

Funerals are either State or family ceremonies done after a person dies, to honor him. It is essentially a series of associated customs or rituals that are unique to one’s religion or culture.

Majority of Christian funerals have rituals that can be categorized into three types of events – the visitation, funeral, and burial. From a religious aspect, visitation and funeral rituals have much more significance and they are detailed here.

The first part is the visitation, when the body is laid in a casket for general viewing by friends and relatives. The body is usually adorned with the finest garments and jewellery belonging to the dead person. Some cultures require embalming the body for the occasion, while others don’t.

At the visitation, a family may also display photographs taken of the deceased during his or her lifetime, or some valuable items that were very close to the deceased. Some families also play a video or slide show of the deceased.

This ceremony is then followed by the funeral ceremony, which is a memorial service that is normally conducted at the church. The casket with the body in it is carried in a vehicle to the church, surrounded by a funeral cortege of mourners. The coffin is laid in the church with an elegant floral arrangement on it.

This involves offering of prayers by the attendees and reading out of the Bible or other sacred texts by the clergy. Those attending the funeral also sing devotional songs. Then the presiding pastor gives a speech, which is then followed by eulogies given by the family members and friends of the departed elaborating upon the life, achievements and good qualities of the deceased. Sometimes, attendees are allowed to view the body for the last time before the burial takes place. Church bells may be rung both before the service and after it.

The completion of second part, which is the funeral, marks the beginning of the burial, which is the final stage of the proceedings, and the deceased’s body is carried through a funeral procession.

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