Posts Tagged ‘ funeral directors ’

Rites And Rituals In Customary Funeral Services

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

All over the world, funeral rites are governed by various customs and traditions. Funerals give a chance to the bereaved to pray for their departed loved ones one last time and cope with their loss.

Church rules govern Christian funerals rites. However, as there are over 200 different Christian community offshoots, there may be various differences in their own types of funeral rites.

The most important tradition in a Christian funeral is known as the wake, which is held before the actual funeral service and where the dead is watched the whole night and Biblical psalms are recited to pray for the dead’s soul.

According to present-day standards, funeral rites event is the time when relatives and close friends can pay their last respects to the deceased person. The body is either kept at the house or at Church and the time of paying visit is fixed according to prescribed norms. In olden days, the dead person was sought to be absolved of his sins of his earthly existence by carrying out the process of absolution after wake. This involved placing a cross on the departed’s chest and offertory in the casket, where gifts offered were kept.

Then comes the main funeral rites, which begins with the transportation of the deceased’s body to the Church in a coach and is followed by chanting of hymns and prayers from the Bible. Then, the clergy calls upon a dear friend or family member to give a eulogy or tribute to the departed’s life. Some Christian communities have chiming of the bells as a part of the proceedings that marks the end of ceremony. Then the casket with the dead person in it is brought to the burial place for the final set of rites, called the burial service which precedes the burying.

Lastly, the funeral’s end is marked by a lunch organized for the family and those present at the funeral rites. The primary aim of such rituals is to give support to the mourning family and assist them to overcome their sorrow and resign themselves to the fate.

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Main Responsibilities Of A Funeral Director

Thursday, December 31st, 2009

to the final handling of the body of the deceased.

There are four essential tasks of a funeral director, they are: (a) shifting of the body to the mortuary; (b) embalming and preparing the body for service; (c) arranging for the services for friends and family to pay their last respects to the deceased and; (d) the last act of cremation or burial according to the beliefs of the family.

The tasks of a funeral director range from publishing obituaries in the print and electronic media to arranging for a vehicle to carry the body, in addition to other planning tasks like deciding the time and place for conducting the memorial service etc. In addition, the funeral directors also have to ensure that the decorations and flowers are in place. Besides this, they have to make the body ready for the service by bathing and anointing it and arrange conveyance for the relatives assembling for the service.

Besides these tasks, a funeral director also handles the essential paperwork that forms a part of the formalities following a person’s death. He helps the relatives in procuring a death certificate. He also makes arrangements to settle any claims of insurance, and helps the family members in applying for seniors’ burial benefits. He also helps in clearing annuity and pension money, if any, of the deceased to the beneficiaries of the deceased and helps the family in assessing the costs of the whole funeral service.

He also has to coordinate with a number of professionals to perform his tasks in a proper and systematic way. He has to deal with not only the casket makers and flower sellers but also priests and doctors.

Finally, it is important for funeral directors to be able to offer some solace to the bereaved family on an unofficial level, so as to help them tide over the loss of a loved one. Though it is an important aspect of the job, some funeral directors usually consider it a peripheral responsibility.

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Several Common Traditions In Christian Funerals

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

A funeral is a family (or a State) ceremony held to honor a person that passed away. It entails a set of rites and traditions that vary according to the deceased’s religion and culture.

Most Christian funerals have rites that are categorized into 3 main parts: visitation, funeral, and burial. Among these, the first 2 posses greater importance as far as rituals are concerned, and thus, have been discussed as follows.

The first part is the visitation, when the deceased is placed in a casket for general viewing by relatives and other people in the gathering. The body is dressed up in the finest attire and any jewellery that belonged to the departed. Some cultures follow the ritual of anointing the body, though not all communities are bound to do it.

Visitation often includes a visual display of photos of the deceased by the family members or a display of items that were cherished by the departed during his lifetime. Some families also play a video or do a slideshow in memory of the deceased.

The visitation is followed by the next service, the memorial service, also known as funeral, and it is conducted in a church. The casket with the dead body in it is brought to the church in a hearse, surrounded by a funeral procession of lamenters. The casket with its floral arrangement is then housed in the church.

The service generally involves reciting lines from the Holy Scriptures or the Bible and praying for the deceased. The mourners or attendees also sing devotional songs in chorus. Then the presiding pastor gives a speech, which is closely followed by tributes given by the family members and friends of the departed elaborating upon the life, achievements and good qualities of the deceased. Sometimes, the people assembled are allowed to view the body for one last time before the burial. Church bells are also sometimes rung after the service.

After these ceremonies are over, the deceased is taken in a funeral cortege for burial, which marks the end of the funeral ceremony.

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The Significance Of Rituals In A Buddhists Funeral

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

The basic teachings of Lord Buddha form the crux of the Buddhist religion which is the main religion in many nations of the world today. Buddhism involves search for the Ultimate Truth as well as a sense of compassion and true love for every creature.

Buddhist funeral rites are also based upon these basic principles of the religion. When someone dies in a Buddhist family, there are some basic rites which are practised with the objective of ensuring that the soul of the departed can soar to an elevated stage. Prayers are done invoking the goodness of the deceased person and wishes are made for a blissful life after death for the deceased.

The funeral rites start with giving the deceased a traditional wash. Monks are invited to chant different religious scriptures, which are believed to give the soul the correct guidance to achieve spiritual freedom. Then Buddha’s teachings that emphasize on the importance of kindness and compassion are recited aloud by the monks. Meanwhile, the body is prepared for the final rites. Friends and family members often place some money in the casket of the deceased person. This is for enabling the deceased to pay and wade across the River of Three Hells.

The casket is then put before the altar at home for friends and relatives to pay their final respects. While friends and relatives offer condolences, visitors are expected to pray for the dead person. The proceeding is accompanied with chanting of relevant sutras by the priests. Once the chanting is over, people bow before the altar to pay their last respects. After the ceremony, the family members of the departed give out gifts to the attendees for sharing their grief.

Once these rituals are over, the family can decide to bury or cremate the body based on their family beliefs. The rites and rituals are a means of bringing peace and acceptance to the family of the deceased as they know their prayers are directed towards elevating the status of the departed in his life after death.

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