Canadian Funeral Tradition.
When a loved one dies, grieving friends and family are quickly confronted with lots of decisions to make regarding the funeral service. Often when people make arrangements for a service they assume the ceremony is for the deceased but really it is for the mourning friends and family.
Funerals are in memory of our lost ones and are a way in which friends and family can share their emotions and feelings]and pay their respects to the deceased.
Generally in Canada, funerals are divided into three sections.
Visitation – Usually taken place one or two days prior to the funeral]. The embalmed body is placed in an open casket, or if you family and friends can pay their respects. A book, kept by the deceaseds family, is signed and records feelings and emotions felt by friends and family. Allot of families also show photographs and prize possessions at the Visitation. This ceremony usually concludes with a prayer service (at a Catholic funeral the ceremony may also include a Rosary)
Funeral – Actual funeral services may also be influenced heavily by religious and cultural traditions. You may decide on an elaborate ceremony or a simple and private affair. Each family is different and not everybody wants the same kind of funeral. A traditional funeral includes a formal service, a hearse to take the body to the funeral site and either a burial or cremation of the body.
Funeral services will often include readings and prayers from the Bible. In some cases a family member or close friend of the deceased will be asked to give a speech of happy memories and any achievements the deceased may have made. These speeches and prayers can provide comfort for family and friends who are mourning.
Burial – The funeral service concludes with a burial service.
Close relatives and friends of the deceased can carry the casket from the chapel to the hearse and then after from the hearse to the site. A burial service is then held at the side of the grave.
In many traditions a gathering of friends and family will take place after the burial either at the church or at another location.
For more information on Funeral Services in Canada please visit gta funerals
Related posts: