Funeral

A funeral procession in Peru

Funeral is an official ceremony of burying someone who has died. Most religions have their own style of funeral ceremony.

A funeral ceremony can be held in the house of the dead, a church, a temple or a public place. The family and friends of the dead come together, remember the dead, and comfort each other. If it is a religious ceremony, they say a prayer for the dead so that his or her soul may rest in peace. There are lots of different traditions that different religions use. Sometimes at funerals, the family or friends of the dead person want to pray or say something nice about them. At Christian funerals, the priest or preacher may say: "From earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust". Modern funerals have greatly changed over time. Present day funeral or memorial services may often be more like a thanksgiving for the life of the dead person, rather than just thinking about the sadness of death.

Modern funerals

At many present day funerals there is a video tribute played before, after, or during the funeral service. Memorial folders or prayer cards are handed out at many funeral services and this, too, is a way to make a funeral service personal. At funerals it is not uncommon to see a "life reflection" table. Family members bring favorite pictures, or memorabilia to display as another reminder of the deceased (the person who has died). Headstones are bought so that everyone can see who has been buried in a specific grave. They usually tell the name, date of birth and the date of death.