Funerals across the world are marked by a many rites and rituals. Funeral offers an opportunity to the relatives of the deceased to pray for him and come to terms with their loss and sorrow.
Church rules govern rites of funerals in Christian communities. However, there are more than 200 different Christian denominations and communities that have their own unique customs and rituals relating to the funeral ceremony.
The first significant tradition in a Christian funeral is the wake, which is held before the real funeral ceremony and where the dead is watched the entire night and Biblical psalms are read to pray for the departed soul. As per the present day rituals, this is when the family and acquaintances pay a last visit to the dead person and offer homage for the last time. The deceased is carefully preserved and placed either at the home or in a Church with only a particular number of visiting hours. In olden days, the deceased was sought to be absolved of his sins of this birth by performing the ritual of absolution after wake. This involved placing a cross on the deceased's chest and offertory in the casket, where gifts offered were kept.
Then begins the actual service itself, where the deceased is first transported to the Church in a hearse and prayers from the Holy Bible are recited and prayers are sung in the church. This is then followed by the clergy asking one of the friends or a family member to present a eulogy. Some Christian communities have chiming of the bells as a part of the tradition that marks the end of service. When the funeral proceedings are over, the casket with the body is carried to the burial site and burial service takes place before the final burial.
Finally, the family members organize a lunch for everyone who has attended the funeral. The primary purpose of such rituals is to provide support to the grieving family and assist them to tide over their grief and resign themselves to the fate.
Church rules govern rites of funerals in Christian communities. However, there are more than 200 different Christian denominations and communities that have their own unique customs and rituals relating to the funeral ceremony.
The first significant tradition in a Christian funeral is the wake, which is held before the real funeral ceremony and where the dead is watched the entire night and Biblical psalms are read to pray for the departed soul. As per the present day rituals, this is when the family and acquaintances pay a last visit to the dead person and offer homage for the last time. The deceased is carefully preserved and placed either at the home or in a Church with only a particular number of visiting hours. In olden days, the deceased was sought to be absolved of his sins of this birth by performing the ritual of absolution after wake. This involved placing a cross on the deceased's chest and offertory in the casket, where gifts offered were kept.
Then begins the actual service itself, where the deceased is first transported to the Church in a hearse and prayers from the Holy Bible are recited and prayers are sung in the church. This is then followed by the clergy asking one of the friends or a family member to present a eulogy. Some Christian communities have chiming of the bells as a part of the tradition that marks the end of service. When the funeral proceedings are over, the casket with the body is carried to the burial site and burial service takes place before the final burial.
Finally, the family members organize a lunch for everyone who has attended the funeral. The primary purpose of such rituals is to provide support to the grieving family and assist them to tide over their grief and resign themselves to the fate.
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