The deceased is usually dressed in a special outfit, which is often called funeral clothing. The clothing will depend on the culture of the person’s village or of their religion.
For example, many African cultures wear clothes made from natural materials such as raffia and bark cloth, which are not coloured. In Christianity, black outfits are often worn with a white veil across the chest.
What should you do?
* It is wise to make sure that the clothing of a deceased person remains in excellent condition so that it will be buried or burned.
* If you will attend the funeral ceremony and mourning period (if applicable) for a loved one, you should wear clothes made from natural fibers such as cotton or silk. In Christianity, black attire is worn at funerals by both men and women.
The number of guests may vary from 25 to 200 depending on which culture they belong to. When sunlight comes through the door of the house where the deceased lies dead, everyone goes outside and sits under the sun.
The sunlight symbolizes an opening of mind and happiness. Then, everyone begins with greetings and wishes condolences for those who have lost a loved one.
American Indian Tribes
For most American Indian tribes, it was important for women to arrange the funeral ceremony, as they did everything associated with the care of children and infants. They dressed them up beautifully in their finest clothes and had to make sure that they were bearing enough toys and gifts.
The next task was preparing food for the feast after the service. Food is an essential element during mourning because it provides physical strength and comfort to people who have lost someone close to them.
The main dish at a funeral feast usually consists of meat from a domestic animal slaughtered specifically for this event (for example, a cow).
There are no speeches given or songs sung at American Indian funerals; each person expresses his condolences in his own way. The deceased is buried in a coffin made of wood and decorated with different things, such as flowers.
All the people who had previously known the deceased say aloud all the good memories they have about them at the Grave monuments.
Our funeral services
As we know already, funeral services are organized for those who have recently passed away. Many people and family members attend it, and friends of the deceased person (if possible). The ceremony starts with lighting candles (at the dead place) and placing flowers on them. The service ends with a song heard by all people present there.
The last step is usually to bury the deceased at the cemetery or cremate it, which has become more popular in recent years – cremation is accepted as an eco-friendly practice.
Funeral service is an important part of the whole mourning period, just like wearing special clothes and holding the funeral feast. The most common one, in this case, is to hold a wake. It happens right before burial or cremation since it would be disrespectful for anyone present at the service to sleep or eat.