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

Usually, Christian funerals are categorized into 3 main heads – visitation, funeral, and finally, the burial. Among these, the first 2 posses higher significance as far as rituals are concerned, and thus, have been discussed as follows.

The first and foremost part is visitation in which the body is laid in a coffin for friends and relatives to see and pay their last respects to the deceased. The body is dressed in the finest clothes and adorned with jewellery. Some communities follow the ritual of anointing the body, though not all communities should compulsorily do it.

Some families prefer displaying memories from the life of the dead person at visitation in the form of pictures and personal articles that were prized possessions of the deceased. Some families also play a video or slide show of the deceased.

The visitation ceremony is followed by the second part of rituals, which is the memorial service, also called funeral, and it is conducted in a church. The casket with the body in it is carried in a vehicle to the church, accompanied by a funeral cortege of mourners. The casket with its floral arrangement is then housed in the church.

Funeral services normally include prayers and recitals from the Holy Scriptures and the Bible. The mourners or attendees also sing devotional songs in chorus. This is followed by a speech by the pastor presiding over the proceedings of the funeral and tributes by the friends and relatives, who then share their personal thoughts about the deceased’s life. Though this is not a mandatory custom, but in some communities, people are allowed a final glimpse of the body before leaving the church for burial. Church bells may be chimed both before and after the service.

The completion of second part, which is the funeral, marks the commencement of the third stage of the ceremony, which is burial, and the deceased’s body is carried through a funeral cortege.

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