History UsefulNotes / Funerals

See FuneralTropes for when this happens in fiction and the conventions they may follow. If you're interested in finding the graves of people in RealLife, check out the website Website/FindAGrave.

Proper funerary rites are often deemed necessary to prevent the deceased from being BarredFromTheAfterlife and other evils, but [[ValuesDissonance what qualifies as "proper" varies widely]]. Cremation and burial are the most common, but such practices as exposing to the dead to vultures and other unusual methods are not unknown. Even slicing up the body has been done -- as a means to free the soul from the body. This is often a time of danger, with the body being regarded as polluting.

* The wearing of proper attire by the mourners. This generally is black -- a sober color -- or white, which is undyed and so simple. This is a mark of proper behavior, which of course is grieved. White is also the color of bone.

See FuneralEpisode for when this happens in fiction. If you're interested in finding the graves of people in RealLife, check out the website Website/FindAGrave.

Although the [[VikingFuneral stereotypical Viking funeral]] is pushing a burning boat out to sea with the dead man[[note]]Which wouldn't get hot enough to actually cremate a body if carried out in RealLife, instead creating a rather morbid scene.[[/note]], plenty of archeological evidence points to burial. Large mounds were built to hold the dead man and his grave goods, which could include [[HumanSacrifice slaves]], and a ship. These, however, were often burned on a pyre before burial.

Ancient peoples of the steppes -- the Scythians and their relatives, Sarmatians and Sakas -- used to bury their lords in earthen mounds. From Black Sea's western shores to central Siberia, they often contained an abundance of artifacts, giving us immeasurable knowledge about the material culture of these peoples (and, in case of so-called Pazyryk burials, even of tattoos they wore). As befitting horse nomads, quite a number of mounds contain a skeleton of a horse alongside the primary occupant. Sacrificial slaves and retainers have also been seen.

Christian practice is generally burial, normally facing east, because of belief in the resurrection of the body. Because cremation has been used historically to express disbelief in resurrection, it has been discouraged and even banned; nowadays most sects do not ban it because the use is not generally to express the disbelief. Grave goods are also not used. This is so prevalent that archeologists use burial ''ad orientum'' and lack of grave goods to determine whether a grave is Christian or pagan in times where either was possible (and observe that their findings grow much sparser as regions are Christianized and no grave goods are found).

The body, in its coffin, is kept in the home, assuming the deceased is old enough for there to be junior people to pay respects to it. (Parents, for instance, cannot pay respects to an unmarried son, and he has neither wife nor children to do it, so his corpse must be kept in a funeral home.) Their descendents and daughters-in-law should wail and cry aloud. Offerings of incense and paper money are made. Once the wake is completed, the coffin is buried in the cemetery.

At one time, rich grave goods, sometimes including human sacrifice, were included. This was transformed into the offering of paper money and other such substitutes which could be magically activated for the dead to enjoy in the afterlife. Indeed, during the time of transition, writings urged the magical substitutes on the grounds that graverobbers could not steal the goods this way.

For more detail on the modern practices, see ''UsefulNotes/ChineseFuneraryCustoms''

In Shinto, an oracle decreed that the appropriate funeral rites are performed by a Buddhist priest, which is normal nowadays. Cremation and the burial of the ashes in a family plot are the common form, though some people will choose to have their ashes scattered in one place and their family grave in another. Grave goods are generally flowers, pinwheels, or items that the deceased enjoyed in life left as offering and decoration at the grave both - alcohol and tobacco are common for this reason, and occasionally food items such as candy as well. (Stealing these from a grave or defacing a grave is generally considered a very taboo act and can result in ''everyone'' being barred from visiting the grave, or in criminal penalties as any other kind of theft/vandalism.)

In the Japanese VisualKei and HeavyMetal subcultures, those who attend wakes and burials of other artists are expected to tone down their appearance and dress as formally as possible (even if said appearance is a lifestyle choice - someone with brightly dyed hair is expected to cut it as conservatively as possible and dye it black, or if this isn't possible due to upcoming work or events, to at least dye it a darker color or cover it). Anyone who knew the artist even as an acquaintance (and if the artist was famous enough, this includes fans as well) is usually expected to attend if at all possible, and if attendance is not possible, to send flowers and a card in their absence. Overly dramatic emotional displays are neither frowned upon ''nor'' demanded - it is very much "express how you truly feel" as a contrast to mainstream culture.

Within those subcultures there are also occasionally annual or occasional memorial events or shows (usually on an artist's birthdate or death date, sometimes both - for example, [[Music/HidetoMatsumoto hide's]] are on his death date and birthdate both, while Music/MunetakaHiguchi 's are usually on or around his death date). These are less formalized and other artists, whether performing or not, are generally encouraged to appear in their style rather than toned down as they would be for a funeral, and a more celebratory atmosphere of the artist's life and work exists. These are, obviously, public events and open to all where a wake or funeral might be more restricted for a less famous artist.

The normal Hindu practice is cremation, with the ashes scattered in the Ganges River - however, this isn't absolutely cast in iron, so if one can't make it to the Ganges, any water body will do - the only requirement is that it be not stagnant.

The reasons behind cremation are that, since Hindus believe in reincarnation, the next life will get a fresh body (no matter where the incarnation) so there is no need to keep an old body - it being little more than the "clothing" the soul wears and to be discarded once it is of no use. The second reason is that by burning the body to ash and pouring it into the water, it returns to the Earth from where it came, thus keeping all things in balance. Think of it like a transaction - you rented out some materials from the planet for your body, and once you've finished using it, the materials are returned to the original owner.

Mourners are normally expected to wear all white - though again, this isn't ironclad, and it differs from place to place. Conduct at the time of the funeral also varies from region to region, from grim, sombre events, to loud displays of lamentation and anguish, to loud and colourful processions with dancing, singing, rejoicing and much fanfare.

The last rites are usually completed within a day of death. The body is washed and wrapped in funerary linen [[ColourCodedForYourConvenience (white if the dead person is a man or an unmarried [or widowed] woman, red if it is a woman whose husband is still alive, white or yellow if it is a child)]]. The big toes are tied together with a string and a ''Tilak'' (a red, yellow or white mark - this normally depends on sect and caste, or just personal preference) is placed on the forehead. The funeral pyre is placed such that the feet are facing south.

The eldest son, or a male mourner (eldest in that family), or a Priest – whoever is designated as the lead mourner – then bathes himself before leading the cremation ceremony. He circles the dry wood pyre with the body, says a eulogy or recites a hymn, places sesame seeds or rice in the dead person's mouth (the toll to enter the Halls of the Dead), sprinkles the body and the pyre with clarified butter, then draws three lines, signifying Yamaraj [[DontFearTheReaper (the God of Death)]], Kaala (the God of Time, He who devours all things) and the Dead. Prior to lighting the pyre, an earthen pot is filled with water, and the lead mourner circles the body with it, before lobbing the pot over his shoulder so it breaks near the head. Then the pyre is set ablaze. An optional last bit is to performing ''Kapala Kriya'', or the ritual of piercing the burning skull with a stave (bamboo fire poker) to make a hole or break it, in order to release the soul.

Most ''ulema'' agree that although the community is collectively obliged to give condolences to the bereaved, it is forbidden from gathering to do so--so no memorial services, wakes, or other such events. Thus the families have a quasi-open house for a few days--generally the three-day period of mourning--with a few people at a time trickling in and out to pay their respects. The bereaved are forbidden to prepare food for those coming to give condolences; the community is expected to bring food to them. Finally, wailing, shrieking, breaking things, and other violent displays of grief are also strictly forbidden; Islamic grieving is supposed to be quiet, reflective, and dignified.

In Zoroastrianism, the dead body is unclean and polluting. It can not therefore be either burned or buried, because that would sacrilegiously taint fire or earth. The body is therefore exposed on a Tower of Silence, so that vultures may eat it.

In Tibet, it is believed that one's body upon death is merely trapping the soul on Earth. So the body is taken to a mountain and cut into pieces for vultures to eat, who in turn carry the soul to the afterlife.

Following burial is the shiva (from the Hebrew ''shiv'ah'' lit. "seven"), wherein first-degree family members spend seven days mourning the deceased, but shiva will end prematurely for the first day of a holiday, even if that holiday begins the night of the burial. During shiva, the mourners will not perform many activities, including the conducting of business (unless one is, for example, a medical professional or holder of public office). Prayer services will be conducted in the facility where shiva is held (traditionally the family home). The rending of garments worn over the heart (''keriah'') is traditional, but Conservative and Reform Jews may substitute a symbolically-torn black ribbon.

Family graves (graves containing the remnants of the same family in many generations) are commonplace in many denominations. As the old, large cities in Europe are running out of cemetary land, cremation and burial of the ashes in an urn are today the norm in many countries. The old family family graves can contain dozens of urns of the family members.

The body, in its coffin, is kept in the home, assuming the deceased is old enough for there to be junior people to pay respects to it. (Parents, for instance, cannot pay respects to an unmarried son, and he has neither wife nor children to do it, so his corpse must be kept in a funeral home.) Their descendents and daughters-in-law should wail and cry aloud. Offerings of incense and paper money are made. Once the wake is completed, the coffin is buried in the cemetary.

->'''Ivy:''' UsefulNotes/{{Indonesia}}ns build these beautiful towers that they believe reach up to a spot between Heaven and Earth. [[AndThereWasMuchRejoicing There's singing and music, processions, and big feasts to celebrate the passing of their loved one's soul onto Heaven.]]\\

If you're interested in finding the graves of people in RealLife, check out the website Website/FindAGrave.