Feed: Funerals - Rites Of Relinquishing For Different Religious Belief Systems - AggScore: 14.0

Funerals - Rites Of Relinquishing For Different Religious Belief Systems

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Dying is an inevitable part of being here on this earth. It is part of the wheel of life. When a person passes away, others are left behind to mourn the person's passing away. The faith system that a person belongs to must help in doing a ritual of letting go for those who are left behind. This ritual of relinquishing is what is known as the funeral. Funerals around the world are performed by following many traditions, rites and rituals. Funeral offers an opportunity to the family of the deceased to pray for him and learn to cope with their loss and sorrow. Christian funerals adhere to the rules of the Church. However, as there are over 200 different communities of Christians, there are various differences in the manner in which the funeral services are conducted by each community. The first significant ritual in a Christian funeral is the wake, which is held before the actual funeral service and where the dead is watched the entire night and psalms are read to pray for the departed soul. According to present day traditions, this is the stage where friends and family members see the deceased for the last time and pay their heartfelt respects. The body is properly preserved and housed either in a Church or at the home, and the time of visit is specified. In the past, the stage following the wake used to be that of absolution, where a cross was placed on the deceased's body and offertory, which carried the gifts offered by visitors, and the deceased was ritually absolved of the sins committed during his earthly tenure. Then begins the real ceremony itself, where the dead is first carried to the Church in a vehicle and prayers from the Bible are recited and hymns are sung in the church. This is then followed by the clergy asking one of the close friends or family to read out a eulogy. Some communities have chiming of the bells as an integral part of the tradition that marks the end of ceremony. Once the funeral proceedings are over, the casket with the deceased is carried to the burial site and burial service takes place before the final burial. Finally, the family members organize a lunch for everyone who has attended the funeral. The primary aim of such customs is to provide support to the mourning family and help them overcome their grief and accept the fate. Dealing with providers of caskets and funeral needs can be difficult for people who are closest to the deceased person. Tips on how to choose the appropriate funeral services for your deceased loved ones can be found in this website.