Due to the high morality rate of soldiers during the Civil War, the government began a system to identify the bodies of the deceased for their families. To better ensure that their bodies would be identified, soldiers began wearing their names and positions pinned to their uniforms, which foreshadowed the use of dog tags in future wars. Other rituals that began to form around this time were the use of black crape “mourning” dresses, which is where the tradition of wearing black to funerals began, and the practice of embalming bodies to better preserve them until they were in the possessions of their families, which gave birth to the modern funeral
Burial Rituals of Native American Culture At some point in our lives, we all come to realize that death is a part of life. Cultural diversity provides a wide variety of lifestyles and traditions for each of the unique groups of people in our world. Within these different cultures, the rituals associated with death and burial can also be uniquely diverse. Many consider ritualistic traditions that differ from their own to be somewhat strange and often perceive them as unnatural. A prime example would be the burial rituals of the Native American people.
“Have you ever thought about how much Greek traditions have changed over time?” Chances are you answered no to that question. However, Greece is very interesting when it comes down to how much it has changed over time. Particularly in its traditions about death. The Greeks believe in very specific things when it comes down to what happens after death, and what they believe about death at the time influences their traditions for it, and the traditions for death have changed over time.
Funeral ceremonies were extremely elaborate, especially for upper class citizens. Funerals had five parts in Ancient Rome; the procession, the cremation and burial, the eulogy, the feast, and the commemoration. Ceremonies began closely after death, as soon as all necessary preparations were made. At the home, the deceased’s body would be washed with warm water and then anointed. If the deceased person had held office, a wax impression of his features would be taken. Next, the body would be dressed in in a toga with all the regalia of the rank he was allowed to wear. Incense would be burned and pine woul dbe places outside the door to signify death in the house. In early and late times, when burial was more popular than cremation, a coing would be placed in between the teeth of the deceased, as payment for Charon, the ferryman of the underworld. These rites were simplified in poorer funerals, as well as done by a family member. However, for the rich, an undertaker, or designator, would do so().
Eastern Orthodox vs Roman Catholic In the funeral world there are a lot of different styles of funerals. For example, Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic funerals. Both very different, but at the same time they have several things in common. In funerals there is an abundance of things to compare and contrast. We will be looking at different ways the notification of death is handled in both of these religions, removal, embalming, dressing/casketing, visitation requirements/rituals, and interment or cremation.
Death rituals are an important part of concluding a person’s life in nearly all faiths, so the person can be remembered in a special way as he/she parts the world from his/her family and friends. This report will explore death rituals in both Catholic and Islamic faiths. The writer will
Different cultures, countries, religions, and community with various behaviors and rituals that guides their belief and action when a loved one pass away. Religious and spiritual belief, type of life after death, superstitious beliefs after death and beliefs towards the meaning of life are all based on tradition and death
Death. Overall one of the biggest obstacles in life. The knowledge of the inevitable, that one day despite one’s feats of greatness, all die. It’s the one certainty of life. What is often not accounted for, though, are the complications involved. Like the causes or even the aftermath of death.
The temples, pyramids, tombs, and religious artifacts left behind all tell us that the Ancient Egyptians believed in the resurrection of the dead. Their belief in immortality was the fundamental driving force behind their religion. “The formulae which were declared to have been recited during the performance of ceremonies were written down and copied for scores of generations, and every pious, well-to-do Egyptian made arrangements that what had been done and said on behalf of Osiris should be done and said for him outside and inside his tomb after his death.” (Liturgy of Funeral Offerings, pg.2) This illustrates just how important the ceremony and the process was to the Egyptians. Their belief in the afterlife and the importance of the ceremonial steps taken to get them there caused them great concern with their own funerals. Today, everyone has an idea of what they would like to do for their own funeral as well. We may follow in the same patterns as our family heritage has done for generations with either a traditional funeral or cremation, or we may have a newer alternative in mind for our self. Even though we may not be preparing for an afterlife, we still have an
Cremation vs. Burial Today the society is looking for ways to ease life and to find solutions for problems which oppress our lives and make it hard to live through. Because of many reasons, the traditional burials in this century are becoming a problem. (Prothero,2001). The fact that they cover a lot of land to build cemeteries and other things that are attached to these traditional burials is enough for us to search for a practical solution. About a century ago the term "cremation" was unknown to many people. It is believed that it began to be practiced during the early Stone Age and still exists today. Since that time cremations have been made all
Now if the dead are buried far away from their homes, graves are decorated with the idea that the dead return their first and then to their how with livens. Mexicans visit graveyards, decorate the graves in their best forms and spend time there, in the presence of their departed friends, family members and lovesome. In some villages, they lay flower petals as paths, candles and offerings along the path leading from the cemetery to their homes. The spirits will be able to find their way. In some communities, it is expected to spend the whole night in the cemetery, and people throw a party of it, having a picnic supper, playing music, talking and drinking through the night. Gatherings are often held during the yearly event, it can involve the
African-American is a politically correct term used to refer to blacks within the United States. The roots of many African-American rites can be traced back to African cultural rites. However, it is important to note that not all blacks in America identify with African cultural roots. Therefore, some of the rites found within what many in the United States call African-American culture stem from Caribbean and other cultural traditions. For this reason, when making end of life decisions or funeral arrangements the “cultural identification, spirituality and the social class” the individual identifies with must be taken into account. The black majority within the United States identifies with Afrocentric traditions and perspectives. For this
Passing away has continuously been to a majority of people a prohibited subject in any conversations. Nevertheless, among African American societies death is one of the essential characteristics of culture. It is established that the manner in which death practices are handled among Africa Americans is completely different from other
While many funerary customs are unique to their separate cultures, some customs and themes can be seen through both Greco-Roman and Ancient Mexican practices. The most notable of these themes are the ideals of ritual, honor, pottery, and feasting. These four themes can be seen to have heavy influences in
The Greeks often buried dead people, and marked graves with carved gravestones. Large pots were also used to mark graves. The deceased were usually buried in graveyards outside the city walls. When the procession reached the burial place, the body could be buried, or it could be burnt, and the ashes were buried. The dead person was often buried with some of their belongings.