The world over, funeral ceremonies are governed by various rites and rituals. It is at the funerals that friends and family finally accept the fate and pray for their departed loved one’s soul.

Church rules are followed in Christian funerals. However, as there are over 200 different Christian community offshoots, there may be many differences in the way they hold funeral rituals.

An important ritual of a Christian funeral, called wake, is the very first ritual that is performed before the real funeral and involves watching over the deceased and recital of prayers for the peace of his soul. According to the present day customs, this is when the relatives and friends pay a last visit to the dead person and offer their final respects. The body is either laid at the home or at Church and the duration of paying visit is fixed according to prescribed norms. In earlier days, the second stage after wake used to be that of absolution, where a cross was put on the dead person’s chest and offertory, which held the presents given by visitors, and the person was ritually absolved of the sins committed during his earthly tenure.

Next step is the real ceremony itself in which the deceased is put into a hearse and taken to the Church, where the clergy and others recite prayers and hymns from the Holy Bible. After this, the clergy asks a relative or a friend to offer a eulogy before the body is buried. Some communities have tolling of the bells as an integral part of the proceedings that marks the end of ceremony. Then the casket with the deceased’s body is brought to the burial site for the final set of rites, referred to as the burial service which is performed before the dead is buried.

Finally, the funeral’s end is marked by a mourners’ lunch organised for the family and those present at the funeral ceremony. The main objective of this custom is to share the grief of the family and support them so that they can come to terms with the loss.

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