Funerals throughout the world are governed by many traditions, rites and rituals. Funeral provides a chance to the relatives of the deceased to pray for his soul and come to terms with their loss and sorrow.
Church rules regulate the rites of funerals in Christian communities. However, considering the fact that there are more than 200 denominations of Christian communities, the traditions can change according to the particular affiliation of the family.
The first and foremost custom in a Christian funeral that is conducted before the actual ceremony relates to gathering around the dead person for a night and chanting prayers for the departed soul. This important tradition is known as wake. According to present day practices, this is the time where friends and family see the dead person for the last time and offer their heartfelt homage. The deceased is carefully preserved and placed either at the house or inside a Church with only a particular number of visiting hours. In olden days, the deceased 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 deceased’s body and offertory in the casket, where presents were kept.
Then comes the main 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. This is then followed by the clergy requesting one of the friends or a family member to present a eulogy. Some of the Christian communities follow this by a ritual of ringing of the bells, marking the end of the ceremony. Once the funeral proceedings are over, the casket with the body is transported to the burial site and burial service takes place before the final burial.
Lastly, the funeral’s completion is marked by a mourners’ lunch organised for the family and those present at the funeral service. The primary objective 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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