Rites And Rituals In Christian Funerals
A funeral is either a State or a family ceremony, conducted to honor. It entails a set of rites and customs that vary depending on the deceased’s culture and religion.
Usually, Christian funerals are classified into three main heads – visitation, funeral, and finally, the burial. The first 2 parts, which are the most important ones as far as ritualistic aspects are concerned, are discussed here.
The first ceremony is the visitation, when the deceased is laid in a coffin for public viewing by relatives and other people in the gathering. The body is adorned in the finest attire and any jewellery that belonged to the person who has died. Some cultures follow the rite of embalming the body, though not all cultures are bound to do it.
Visitation mostly includes a display of photos of the dead person by the family or a display of items that were cherished by the departed while he was alive. Some people even play a video or run a slideshow from the lifetime of the deceased.
The visitation is followed by the next service, which is the memorial service, also known as funeral, and it is carried out in a church. The casket with the body in it is brought to the church in a hearse, surrounded by a funeral cortege of mourners. The coffin with its floral arrangement is then housed in the church.
The service usually involves reading of parts from the Holy Scriptures or the Bible and offering prayers for the departed. The mourning groups also sing religious songs in chorus. The pastor presiding over the service delivers a comforting speech, and it is followed by eulogies or tributes given by relatives and close friends of the deceased, who speak of the latter’s good qualities and achievements. Sometimes, attendees are allowed to view the body for the last time before it is taken for burial. Church bells may be chimed both before the service and after it.
After these services are done, the body is taken in a funeral procession for burial, which finally concludes the funeral ceremony.
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