Physical Strength: Carrying a casket is a physically demanding role, even if the weight is distributed among many people. Pallbearers carry the weight of the deceased person, as well as the weight of the casket itself.
Physical strength is definitely one of the first things you need to consider. Although there are usually six pallbearers, they each have to be able to do some of the lifting. People who are ill or who are not naturally strong are not the best option.
Is Carrying a Coffin Heavy for Pallbearers? Yes, carrying a coffin can be burdensome for pallbearers. The body, casket, and hardware may weigh 400 pounds. If that weight is divided evenly among six pallbearers, each one is responsible for about 66 pounds.
Selecting who you would like to serve as the pallbearers is never an easy task. Even more difficult can be asking those people to do the job. Regardless, the pallbearer is a job that must be done, and most people will accept the role if they are asked. Typically, there will be six to eight pallbearers needed.
Carrying the coffin is often an emotionally-charged experience, one which makes a person's death seem very real. It can be an important way for you to say goodbye to the person who has died, supporting them and accompanying them on their final journey.
Pallbearers will have to carry the casket with the body inside, so they will have to transport the body's weight and the coffin. 370 to 400 pounds is the final weight that pallbearers will carry if the casket is standard sized, 200 pounds heavy, whereas the adult body is 200 pounds (male) or 170 pounds (female).
Usually the head end of the coffin is the heaviest, thus the strongest two of your six pallbearers should take the handles at this end.
Try to keep your emotions in check
No one will fault you for letting a few tears slip, but if you're concerned you won't be able to do your duty without heavy crying, you might want to decline the invitation to be a pallbearer. It's best to keep a straight face.
Due to this heaviness, pallbearers are typically males over the age of 16. However, women can also serve as pallbearers. Those chosen are often close to the departed or the bereaved family.
They can be men and women usually over the age of 16. When asked to be a pallbearer, it's an honor and very few people decline this request. Pallbearers play a crucial role in the funeral service, as they're in the public eye.
Opinions differ on whether family members should be asked to be pallbearers. Some people consider it a no-no, while others are fine with including family members. It's possible that immediate family members of the deceased, like siblings or children, may be grieving too deeply to be tasked with this job.
Pallbearers are usually chosen by the closest relatives of the person who has died, and may be family members, close friends or co-workers. Although pallbearers have traditionally always been men, women are now also given the role. It is considered a great honour to be a pallbearer.
In many funerals, the pallbearers are seated together in a special section of the funeral setting as a group. When most or all of the pallbearers are family members, they may choose to be seated with their family.
In most funerals, there are some common choices while selecting pallbearers. Siblings, adult children, grown-up grandchildren or close friends, colleagues or nephews and nieces are frequently selected as pallbearers. There is no written rule as to who can handle this task.
Pallbearers need to dress appropriately. Unless the bereaved specify otherwise, men should wear dark, solid suits with white shirts and conservative ties, and women should wear dark pantsuits or dresses.
Coffins are carried feet first simply because of health and safety, rather than any kind of ceremonial tradition.
If you have been asked to be a pallbearer but do not feel comfortable performing this role, it is perfectly acceptable to decline. There is no shame in admitting that carrying a casket is not something you feel comfortable doing. If you decline, simply thank the family for asking and express your condolences.
The traditional format regarding the number of pallbearers is 6, primarily due to the length of the standard casket, so that 3 people on either side can conveniently carry the casket. Most caskets have additional handles at each end which will accommodate 2 more bearers.
Traditionally, pallbearers would carry the coffin on their shoulders. But these days it's more common to carry it at waist height, push it along on a bier, or walk beside it as other people escort it.
Pallbearers
If you require assistance with pallbearers, the funeral home can help you hire the help needed. The pallbearers will expect payment for services rendered.
In most instances, men are pallbearers, so it seems like the norm. However, there is no cultural or religious customs stating that women can't serve as pallbearers. The only reason why they don't do this job is that they may not be strong enough to lift the casket, which can sometimes be quite heavy.
Gravesites reaching six feet helped prevent farmers from accidentally plowing up bodies. And you had the “rule of thumb,” origin unknown, that said graves should be as deep as the dead person is tall. Today, individual states set the depth of a grave.
Burying a body 6 feet deep may have been a way to stop animals from smelling the decomposing bodies. A body buried 6 feet deep would also be safe from accidental disturbances like plowing.
The average metal casket is made from stainless steel and the average wood from mahogany or oak. Most caskets are finished with soft interior linings to give the deceased a comfortable place to rest.
The average adult male body weighs about 198 pounds while an average female adult body weighs about 171 pounds. With this, pallbearers would have to carry about 370 to 400 pounds for a standard casket with an average-sized body.