Death is part of being alive as a human being. Death is part of the cycle of life. When a person passes away, some others are left behind to grieve for the person’s passing away. To assist those who are left behind to come to terms with the passing away of their loved ones, all faith systems have a ritual of letting go. This ritual is what we know as the funeral.

Funerals around the world are marked by a lot of traditions and rituals. Funeral is a service where friends and family pray for the dead and settle with the fate of the loss of their loved one.

Christian funerals follow the rites of the Church. However, there are more than 200 different Christian denominations and communities that have their own different customs and rituals relating to the funeral ceremony.

The first and foremost ritual in a Christian funeral that is conducted before the actual service is held relates to gathering around the dead person for a night and chanting prayers for the dead. This important tradition is called wake. According to present day traditions, this is the time where friends and family see the dead person for the final time and offer their heartfelt homage. The body is carefully preserved and placed either at the house or inside a Chapel with only a particular number of visiting hours. In old times, the wake was succeeded by the ritual of absolution, which involved purgation of the person of all his or her sins in the present life, and laying a cross on the chest and performing offertory where people put gifts in the casket.

Next stage is the actual service itself in which the dead person is put into a coach and taken to the Church, where the priests and others chant prayers and hymns from the Holy Bible. This is then succeeded by the clergy asking one of the close friends or family to read out a eulogy. In certain cases funeral rituals include the ringing of bells to mark the end of the ceremony. Once the funeral proceedings are over, the casket with the deceased is carried to the burial site and burial service is held before the final burial.

Finally, the funeral’s completion is marked by a mourners’ lunch organised for the family and those present at the funeral service. The prime objective of this custom is to share the grief of the aggrieved family and help them cope with the irreparable loss.

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Buddhism is one of the most widespread religions practised extensively across the globe. The basic principles of the religion are based on the teachings of Buddha. Buddhism entails quest for the Ultimate Truth and also a sense of compassion and genuine love for every living being.

These fundamentals of Buddhism are evident in the rituals practised during a Buddhist funeral. After a person dies in a Buddhist family, certain rites have to be practised in order to make sure that the deceased’s soul is elevated to a higher stage in afterlife. Prayers are chanted invoking the positive energies of the dead person for his or her deliverance from this cycle of life.

The first task in funeral rites is that of giving the body a traditional wash. Buddhist monks read out from religious scriptures, which are believed to give the deceased the correct guidance to attain spiritual freedom. The teachings of the Buddha, which speak of the value of practising virtue and compassion in daily life, are recited aloud. The body is meanwhile made ready for the final rituals. The deceased is usually provided with some money put in his casket by the family members. This is believed to help the deceased cross the River of Three Hells to reach his ultimate destination.

Then the friends and family come and pay their last respects to the deceased as the casket is put at the altar. While friends and relatives offer condolences, visitors are expected to pray for the dead person. Monks who carry out the rites continue to recite the appropriate sutras. After the completion of recitals, people present at the ceremony bow at the altar. After the ceremony, the family members of the departed give out gifts to the attendees for sharing their grief.

The family members can decide upon whether to cremate the body or bury it as per their family beliefs, once all these important rituals are over. The rites and rituals are a means of bringing peace and acceptance to the family of the deceased as they know their prayers are aimed at elevating the status of the departed in his life after death.

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