A living wake is generally the same type of ceremony as a traditional wake or funeral, except it happens before the person has died. It's a chance for a community of friends and family to come together and tell a loved one the impact they have made on their lives, while they are still here to hear it.
A wake, also known as a funeral reception, is an event where close friends and family of the deceased gather together to pay their respects to their loved one. Traditionally, a wake referred to the viewing held before the funeral, but nowadays it's usually held after the funeral or memorial service.
Visitation, Wake or Viewing
Held the night before or immediately prior to the funeral service, the visitation – also called a wake or a viewing – provides a way for friends and acquaintances to pay respects and offer condolences.
Separate from a memorial service, a funeral reception is a special event for family members and friends to honor the deceased without a formalized structure. The gathering after a funeral usually has food and drinks and serves as a venue to offer one's condolences to the family. This is also commonly known as a repast.
Embalming is the process of preserving a body to delay the natural break down of cells, which begins when die. It temporarily helps prevent the processes that cause our bodies to decay. It's a funeral practice that's been carried out for thousands of years in one form or another.
What is a Memorial Gathering? A Memorial Gathering is a time that's set aside for friends and family to pay respects to the person who has passed away. Many families host the Memorial Gathering before or even instead of a funeral service. The Gathering can be as religious or non-denominational as you want.
The meal is a form of charity for the friends and relatives who've come to the funeral. The blessing from that charity goes to the deceased. The more that guests eat and fill themselves, the more of a blessing goes to the dead.
The name “wake” originated because unknown diseases had plagued the countryside causing some to appear dead. As the family began to mourn, they would awaken. For this reason, the body is waked in the deceased's home for at least one night.
The Family Night/Visitation provides for the gathering of friends and family. The visitation may take two forms, one with a family receiving line and the less formal mingling of people. The same questions may arise in either case.
A prelude refers to an introductory piece of music at a funeral program. It is a welcoming song that precedes the funeral ceremony. A religious catholic funeral includes a prelude reflecting the life of the deceased one. The Catholic Choirs provides a prelude to open the service.
A celebration of life service is a type of end-of-life ceremony where people come together to celebrate the unique life of the deceased. Celebrations of life are commonly held after physical remains have been cared for through burial or cremation.
Also known as a death doula or a death midwife, death companions dedicate themselves to supporting people as they experience grief and death. They can help make funeral arrangements, answer questions about death and dying, organize euthanasia for pets, help process grief years after an event and much more.
Funerals are typically led by a funeral officiant. These are also sometimes called funeral celebrants or funeral conductors. A funeral officiant can be a religious leader, funeral director, or even a close friend or family member of the deceased. There are no set rules about these services and events.
A funeral wake is simply a gathering of mourners before or after the funeral service, or sometimes, in place of it. In Australia, when we think of a wake it usually consists of the mourners from the service gathering at the deceased's home, or another venue, to eat, drink and share memories of their loved one.
A viewing (also called a wake) may be brief and take place immediately before the funeral service, or may last for up to three days before the service. A visitation can take place any time, before or after the funeral service or disposition, and can last for hours or days.
Originating out of a superstition in the early post-Talmudic period, the ritual of washing one's hands after being at the cemetery was done to dispel the evil demons that might have attached themselves there. Another explanation is to cleanse oneself of the ritual impurity of being in contact with the dead in any way.
The more well known and more commonly cited explanation is that the washing is due to the “impure spirits” that are found in a cemetery and that remain with a person until he washes his hands. Some also wash their face after leaving a cemetery and some even make an effort to immerse in a mikva.
The ancestors of India, much like many other parts of the world back then did not have vaccination against hepatitis, smallpox and other deadly and contagious diseases. Hence they came up with a set of rituals to be followed after the funeral rites are performed so as to prevent infection from the dead body.
A visitation is often a less formal gathering of loved ones, usually taking place before a funeral. Visitations can be held several days before the funeral service, the night before, or even the day of. Funerals are typically more formal ceremonies, with set structures and time limits.
Sympathy flowers are addressed and sent directly to a loved one of the deceased. They are usually smaller floral arrangements that decorate end tables or can be used as a centerpiece in the family home. Funeral flowers serve as a tribute to the deceased at the funeral service.
One of the most important things we do in the funeral home is bring people together to mourn. There are several reasons we do this; not only out of respect to the person who died, or to show support for the family of the deceased, but to gather as human beings to face the grief of a life that is now over.
A memorial is a gathering meant to commemorate people or events. Often, a memorial will include tributes, which are ceremonies or acts of symbolism to celebrate a person or an event. Memorials and tributes are not always associated with funerals.