In Australia a funeral is commonly held between two and five days after a person has passed away. There are a range of factors that can impact this timeframe, and if those family members helping with the arrangements are overcome by grief or located elsewhere it would be reasonable to extend this timeframe.
How soon after death should a funeral be? A funeral is generally arranged within 7 to 14 days from the passing. Time is also needed for the family to cope with the funeral.
A funeral is typically held around one or two weeks after the death, though it may be longer if the funeral director only has certain days available or if there is an inquest into the death. You may wish for your loved one to be buried as soon as possible, depending on their religious beliefs.
A shraddha ceremony, to pay homage to the person's ancestors, often taking place about 10 days after death.
With proper funeral care and the help of a good funeral director, you shouldn't have to wait any longer than a week to two weeks. If there are reasons you need to wait longer, you can also do so and your funeral director will be able to advise on the best way to do so.
A standard funeral can be up to about 2 weeks after the date of death. If the body is cremated, the family can wait as long as they'd like, but most are done within a month at the latest. If the deceased is already buried or cremated, a memorial service can be held at any later date.
Typically, funerals take place within one to two weeks after death, given all arrangements can be made within that time.
3-5 days after death — the body starts to bloat and blood-containing foam leaks from the mouth and nose. 8-10 days after death — the body turns from green to red as the blood decomposes and the organs in the abdomen accumulate gas. Several weeks after death — nails and teeth fall out.
Nine days after someone dies, you come together, have a celebration, share food and play music. If the person was particularly religious, there might be prayers and hymns. Everybody turns up, they speak about the person and share stories.
Black putrefaction (10-20 days after death) – exposed skin turns black, bloating collapses and fluids are released from the body. Butyric fermentation (20-50 days after death) – the remaining flesh is removed, butyric acid is formed "fermenting" the remains and the body begins to mold if in contact with the ground.
A traditional funeral, also known as a full service funeral, begins with a funeral ceremony which is held at a church or chapel. This is followed by a cremation or burial at a prebooked cemetery plot. In most cases, there is usually a viewing that can be held just before the funeral ceremony or a few days before.
An open casket funeral typically has to take place within a few days or a week after the person's death. If the funeral is not going to take place for a longer period of time, then the body may not be able to be preserved well enough to host an open casket funeral. The preferences of the person who died.
Instead of preparing the body with chemicals, morticians will store it in a fridge that keeps the body at two degrees Celsius. However, like embalming, it's important to remember that this merely slows the decomposition process – it doesn't stop it. A refrigerated body will last three to four weeks.
However, there are no strict rules when it comes to having to wait a certain amount of time. You can have a funeral two days after death (or less) if necessary, especially if your religion or beliefs require it.
It's perfectly acceptable to not have a funeral. There's no legal requirement for you to have one — it's up to you how you'd like to be memorialized.
If you're attending a traditional funeral, you might want to stick to formal clothes in dark colours. This doesn't have to be black – it could be grey or burgundy. Dresses or skirts / trousers, jacket and a top, whatever you consider looks smart will be fine.
The first 49 days after a loved one's death are the most important in Buddhism because we believe it takes a total of 49 days for one's spirit and energy to be fully released.
By three days, internal organs have decomposed. From three to five days after death, the body will begin to bloat from gasses produced from internal decomposition. The body could actually double in size and turn a greenish color. Extremely unpleasant and long-lasting odors called putrification begins.
There is a belief that the soul continues to wander the Earth for another 40 days after the initial death. While wandering, the soul visits significant places from their life as well as their fresh grave. At the end of the 40 days, the soul finally departs from this world.
Within hours, blood is pulled downwards, causing splotches on the skin. Because the heart is no longer pumping blood around the body, it starts being pulled down by gravity. As the blood pools, patches appear on the skin within 30 minutes of death.
Decompensation progresses over a period of minutes even after the pulse is lost. Even when vascular collapse is the primary event, brain and lung functions stops next. The heart is the last organ to fail.
For the first few minutes of the postmortem period, brain cells may survive. The heart can keep beating without its blood supply. A healthy liver continues breaking down alcohol. And if a technician strikes your thigh above the kneecap, your leg likely kicks, just as it did at your last reflex test with a physician.
A hospital is allowed to keep the body of a deceased person in a hospital mortuary for up to 21 days after the date of death (section 80 of the Regulation). Hospital mortuaries are designed for the short-term storage of a limited number of bodies of persons that pass away in hospitals.
How long after you die are you cremated? In most cases, you will have to wait somewhere between 24 and 72 hours after death before a body can be cremated. Certain paperwork is required and may take several business days to obtain.
Depending on location, the cremation process can take anywhere from 3-15 business days. Some states have laws requiring a waiting period before a cremation can even take place. The actual cremation can take about 3 hours, and processing the cremated remains takes another 1-2 hours.