Funerals throughout the world are governed by many traditions, rites and rituals. Funeral offers a chance to the relatives of the deceased to pray for his soul and come to terms with their loss and sorrow.
Christian funerals are governed by the Church rules. However, as there are more than 200 different Christian community offshoots, there are many differences in the manner in which the funeral services are organized by each community.
An important ceremony of a Christian funeral, known as wake, is the first and foremost ritual that is carried out before the actual funeral and involves watching over the dead person and recital of Biblical psalms for the peace of his soul. In present days, this is the moment when relatives and close friends can pay their last respects to the deceased person. The body is properly preserved and housed either in a Church or at the house, and the time of visit is specified. In earlier times, the wake was followed by the ritual of absolution, which involved absolving the person of all the sins he or she committed in the present life, and laying a cross on the chest and performing offertory where people put gifts in the casket.
Then comes the main ceremony, which starts with the bringing of the deceased's body to the Church in a coach and is followed by chanting of hymns and prayers from the Holy Bible. This is then followed by the clergy asking one of the close friends or family to read out a eulogy. Some Christian communities have chiming of the bells as a part of the tradition that marks the end of ceremony. Then the casket with the deceased's body is transported to the burial place for the final set of rituals, called the burial service which is performed before the dead is buried.
Lastly, the funeral's completion is marked by a mourners' lunch organised for the family and those present at the funeral service. The primary aim of such customs is to give support to the mourning family and help them overcome their grief and accept the fate. - 42569
Christian funerals are governed by the Church rules. However, as there are more than 200 different Christian community offshoots, there are many differences in the manner in which the funeral services are organized by each community.
An important ceremony of a Christian funeral, known as wake, is the first and foremost ritual that is carried out before the actual funeral and involves watching over the dead person and recital of Biblical psalms for the peace of his soul. In present days, this is the moment when relatives and close friends can pay their last respects to the deceased person. The body is properly preserved and housed either in a Church or at the house, and the time of visit is specified. In earlier times, the wake was followed by the ritual of absolution, which involved absolving the person of all the sins he or she committed in the present life, and laying a cross on the chest and performing offertory where people put gifts in the casket.
Then comes the main ceremony, which starts with the bringing of the deceased's body to the Church in a coach and is followed by chanting of hymns and prayers from the Holy Bible. This is then followed by the clergy asking one of the close friends or family to read out a eulogy. Some Christian communities have chiming of the bells as a part of the tradition that marks the end of ceremony. Then the casket with the deceased's body is transported to the burial place for the final set of rituals, called the burial service which is performed before the dead is buried.
Lastly, the funeral's completion is marked by a mourners' lunch organised for the family and those present at the funeral service. The primary aim of such customs is to give support to the mourning family and help them overcome their grief and accept the fate. - 42569
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