Here are a few different types of funerals that are currently practiced around the world, starting with the secular / Christian version that is most familiar to Western society today.

Western Secular / Western Christian

In general, in the US, Canada, and other Western nations today, funerals follow a fairly predictable structure, albeit with minor variations in rites and differences in taboos between religious and cultural groups.

The first segment is the wake, also called “viewing” or “visitation.” The body is displayed in a coffin one or two nights before the funeral. Sometimes, it is an “open casket” wake, where the casket is left open (with the deceased embalmed and generally dressed in his best clothes) so that the mourners can say goodbye for the last time, say a few prayers, etc. In other cases, family and friends prefer to keep the coffin closed during the wake.

Memorial services are as follows, often called simply funerals. They can take place in a funeral home or in a church. Sometimes they are held in a chapel in the cemetery where the deceased will be buried or in a crematorium. The ceremony is presided over by a clergyman or a non-religious officiant.

The final part is the burial or cremation service. These are usually shorter and take place directly after the memorial service. Mourners often follow the hearse in a row of cars from the memorial to the burial, using their blinders to indicate that they are part of a funeral procession.

Jewish ceremonies

Many modern Jewish funerals are almost identical to the type mentioned above. However, there are some specific requirements. Judaism, for example, prohibits cremation. Rituals include bathing the body and covering it with a shroud.

Islamic traditions

Islamic funerals vary considerably by region, but an interesting common ground is that the deceased must be buried in front of Mecca (Saudi Arabia), the Muslim holy city.

Burial of heaven

One of the most amazing practices still occurring today, Heaven Burials can be found in Tibet, Mongolia, China, Bhutan, Nepal, and India. The corpse is exposed as “alms for the birds” (for vultures and other scavengers) on top of a mountain, with the idea that the important thing is the spirit, not the body.

Hindu death practices

Due to the subtle understanding of the spirit and the body, adults in the Hindu tradition are cremated, but children are buried. Cremation is believed to be necessary to dissolve the soul’s desire to connect with the body, but young children have not yet developed that sense of attachment. The land is also believed to be soft and relaxing for little ones.

Many people have heard of the archaic Hindu tradition called “sati”, according to which a widow commits suicide by burning herself on her husband’s cremation pyre. The first cases were recorded around 400 AD, and although this is rarely practiced today, there are still rare examples of sati in the modern world.

Knowing some of the life after death ceremonies will give you an opportunity to reflect on how you would like to be honored when you pass away.