Rites And Rituals In Customary Funeral Services

Many traditions and rituals characterize funerals from all over the globe. It is at the funerals that friends and family finally accept the fate and pray for their departed loved one’s soul.

Church rules govern Christian funeral rites. There are more than 200 different Christian denominations and offshoots, each having their own different funeral customs and rituals.

The very first ritual in a Christian funeral that is organized before the actual ceremony relates to assembling around the deceased for a night and reciting prayers for the departed. This important tradition is called wake. According to present day practices, this is the time where acquaintances and family see the dead person for the last time and pay their heartfelt respects. The body is properly preserved and housed either in a Church or at the home, and the time of visit is specified. In olden days, the dead person used to be absolved of his sins of this birth by performing the ritual of absolution after wake. This included placing a cross on the departed’s chest and offertory in the casket, where gifts offered were kept.

Next comes the actual ceremony, which starts 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 Holy Bible. Following this, the priest asks a relative or a friend to offer a eulogy before the body is buried. Some of the communities follow this by a ritual of ringing of the bells, marking the end of the service. Following the funeral service, the casket is carried to the burial place where before burying there is a burial service conducted.

Lastly, funeral services require a gathering to be held after the burial service. The prime objective of this custom is to share the sorrow of the bereaved family and help them cope with the irreparable loss.

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