Several Common Traditions In Christian Funerals

A funeral is a family (or a State) service held to honor a person that passed on. It entails a set of rites and customs that vary according to the deceased's culture and religion.

Usually, Christian funerals are classified into 3 main heads - visitation, funeral, and finally, the burial. Among these, the first 2 posses greater importance as far as rituals are concerned, and thus, have been discussed as follows.

The first and foremost ceremony is visitation wherein the body is laid in a coffin for family and friends to see and pay their last respects to the deceased. The body is dressed up in the finest attire and any jewels that belonged to the departed. Some cultures require embalming the deceased for the occasion, while others don't.

During the visitation, a family may also exhibit photos taken of the deceased during his or her life, or some valuable possessions that were very dear to the deceased. Some families also run a slide show or video of the departed.

This part is then followed by the funeral ceremony, which is a memorial service that is normally conducted at the church. The coffin with the body in it is carried in a vehicle to the church, accompanied by a funeral procession of lamenters. Then the coffin is carried with its floral decorations and housed inside the church.

This involves offering of prayers by the mourners and reading out of the Bible or Holy Scriptures by the clergy. The mourning groups also sing devotional songs in chorus. This is followed by a comforting speech delivered by the priest presiding over the funeral service and eulogies by the family and friends, who then share their personal thoughts about the deceased's life. Sometimes, mourners are permitted to view the deceased for the last time before it is taken for burial. Church bells are also sometimes rung after the service.

After these ceremonies are done, the body is taken in a funeral procession for burial, which finally concludes the funeral ceremony.

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