Funeral Customs Among Christians
A funeral can either be a family or a State ceremony, and it is held in the memory of the deceased person. It is a series of related rites or rituals that are unique to one’s religion or culture.
A majority of Christian funerals have rites that are divided into three main parts – visitation, funeral and finally, the burial. The visitation and funeral rituals have a lot more importance according to the religious aspects and they are detailed below.
The first ceremony is the visitation, when the body is placed in a casket for public viewing by friends and relatives. The body is clothed in the finest attire and adorned with precious jewellery. Some communities follow the ritual of embalming the body, though not all communities are bound to do it.
Some families prefer displaying memories from the life of the deceased at visitation in the form of photos and personal items that were prized belongings of the dead person. Some relatives also like to do a slideshow or video from the deceased’s lifetime.
This part is then followed by the funeral, which is essentially a memorial service that is usually conducted at the church. The casket containing the dead body is placed in a hearse and carried to the church along with a group of mourners, who accompany the carriage. The coffin is laid inside the church with an elegant floral arrangement on it.
This involves offering of prayers by the attendees and reciting lines from the Bible or other sacred texts by the priests. The mourning groups also sing religious songs in chorus. The priest presiding over the ceremony delivers a comforting speech, followed by eulogies or tributes given by relatives and close friends of the deceased, who speak of the latter’s merits and accomplishments. Sometimes, mourners are permitted to view the body for the last time before the burial takes place. The service might be preceded and followed by ringing of church bells.
Once the first two parts of the ceremony are complete, the body is taken into a vehicle for burial that forms the third part of the rituals.
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