Death is never an easy thing to cope with. Especially if who we have lost is someone we hold dear. Also, the fact that you will not be able to see them anymore for the rest of your life is quite a scary thought. It may be really hard at first, but we should carry on over time and live on with the memories of the deceased. With that being said, we must take care of arranging the funeral for the one who passed so their souls can rest easy wherever it is going.
Of course, most people know how a funeral works but what they may not know is that it actually differs from religion to religion and the main reason for that is that the funeral is often influenced by some kind of belief, practices, tradition, and even cultural background of the family belonging to a specific religion. Although there can be quite a lot of difference from one to another, there are funeral service providers that can provide their service to various types of religion. For instance, Taoist funeral services are commonly available especially in countries where there are a lot of Chinese - due to the fact that the religion has originated in China.
If ever you are looking for a certain funeral provider that will meet your needs, like a Buddhist funeral provider here in Singapore, you can easily find them online as most of them have extended their service online so that they can not only expose their business to potential clients but also to be able to provide their service to those who need it the most.
What are the usual differences of funeral traditions?
Depending on the religion, some processes like embalming which is done to preserve the human body after death, cremation where the body is burnt down to ashes, and even beautifying the dead by means of make up are not acceptable. One good example is Muslim funerals - due to the teachings of Quran, these are forbidden since it is in conflict with the Islamic law. Some people may be familiar that whenever a Muslim would die, the body must be buried as close to the time of death as much as possible. This is also one of the reasons why embalming, cremation, and even cosmetology is not acceptable since it may delay the interment of the body.
Are there funerals that does not follow any religious tradition?
As a matter of fact, there is. It is referred to as humanist funeral and it is usually held in an environment where there are no worships songs, prayers, readings or anything related to any religion. Also, it is often held in a home or a multi purpose hall and never in a church. But unlike other funeral where the loss of a loved one is grieved for, the gathering actually focuses on celebrating the life that the deceased had. Basically, they recall or commemorate the accomplishments and achievements of the one that passed away.
After all, whatever religion we have or traditional background, we all have our needs when it comes to funerals. We have to make sure that whichever funeral service provider we work with, they must be able to respect our religious belief and be accommodating to attend to our needs, specially in this sensitive part of our life.