How Is The Funeral Ritual Performed In Different Religions?
Funeral rituals have a different significance for each religious tradition. Christians usually do not have somber funeral services; rather, they opt to honor the life of the departed by coming together to share anecdotes about the departed while he or she was still living. In the Buddhist tradition, on the other hand, the funeral rite may be a mark of a departed person’s transition from this life to the next. Also, Buddhist funeral rituals serve as a reminder for those left behind about the impermanence of anything of this world.
Dying is an unavoidable part of living on this planet. Death is a part of the wheel of life. In death, someone departs and someone is left behind. The role of the religion for those who are left behind is to perform a rite of letting go. The funeral is the ritual that permits people to deal with their loved one’s death.
Christian funerals are governed by the Church rules. However, given the fact that there are more than 200 denominations of Christian communities, the traditions can vary according to the particular affiliation of the family.
The very first ritual in a Christian funeral that is organized before the actual service is held relates to assembling around the dead person for a night and reciting prayers for the dead. This important tradition is known as wake. According to present day traditions, this is the stage where friends and family members see the deceased for the last time and offer their heartfelt homage. The body is preserved and placed either at the house or in a Church with only a particular number of visiting hours. In earlier days, the stage following the wake used to be that of absolution, where a cross was placed on the dead person’s chest and offertory, which carried the presents given by visitors, and the deceased was absolved of the sins committed during his earthly tenure.
Then begins the real service itself, where the dead is first carried to the Church in a hearse and prayers from the Bible are said and prayers are sung in the church. Then, the clergy calls upon a friend or family member to give a public eulogy in honour of the deceased. Some communities have tolling of the bells as an integral part of the tradition that marks the end of ceremony. When the funeral service is over, the casket with the deceased is transported to the burial site and burial service takes place before the body is laid to rest by burying.
Lastly, the family members organize a lunch for the friends, relatives and acquaintances who are attending the funeral. The main aim of this custom is to share the sorrow of the family and support them so that they can come to terms with the loss.
Death is a sensitive time. Give your deceased loved ones the funeral they deserve with a peaceful funeral service. Check here for free reprint licence: How Is The Funeral Ritual Performed In Different Religions?.
