Editing Funeral (section)

==Western funerals==
===Classical antiquity===
====Ancient Greece====
[[File:Gela Painter - Black-Figure "Pinax" (Plaque) - Walters 48225.jpg|thumb|The lying in state of a body ''(prothesis)'' attended by family members, with the women ritually tearing their hair ([[Attica|Attic]], latter 6th century BCE)]]

{{Main|Ancient Greek funerals and burial}}
The Greek word for funeral – ''kēdeía'' (κηδεία) – derives from the verb ''kēdomai'' (κήδομαι), that means attend to, take care of someone. Derivative words are also ''kēdemón'' (κηδεμών, "guardian") and ''kēdemonía'' (κηδεμονία, "guardianship"). From the Cycladic civilization in 3000 BCE until the Hypo-Mycenaean era in 1200–1100 BCE the main practice of burial is interment. The cremation of the dead that appears around the 11th century BCE constitutes a new practice of burial and is probably an influence from the East. Until the Christian era, when interment becomes again the only burial practice, both cremation and interment had been practiced depending on the area.<ref>Lemos 2002: Lemos I., The Protogeometric Aegean. The Archaeology of the Late Eleventh and Tenth Centuries BC, Oxford</ref>

The ancient Greek funeral since the [[Homer]]ic era included the ''próthesis'' (πρόθεσις), the ''ekphorá'' (ἐκφορά), the burial and the ''perídeipnon'' (περίδειπνον). In most cases, this process is followed faithfully in Greece until today.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ims.forth.gr/joint_projects/e-mem/burial_customs-gr.htm#archaic|title=IMS-FORTH: About IMS|website=www.ims.forth.gr|access-date=2008-09-19|archive-date=2013-03-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130318204155/http://www.ims.forth.gr/joint_projects/e-mem/burial_customs-gr.htm#archaic|url-status=dead}}</ref>

''Próthesis'' is the deposition of the body of the deceased on the funeral bed and the threnody of his relatives. Today the body is placed in the casket, that is always open in Greek funerals. This part takes place in the house where the deceased had lived. An important part of the Greek tradition is the ''epicedium'', the mournful songs that are sung by the family of the deceased along with professional mourners (who are extinct in the modern era). The deceased was watched over by his beloved the entire night before the burial, an obligatory ritual in popular thought, which is maintained still.

''Ekphorá'' is the process of transport of the mortal remains of the deceased from his residence to the church, nowadays, and afterward to the place of burial. The procession in the ancient times, according to the law, should have passed silently through the streets of the city. Usually certain favourite objects of the deceased were placed in the coffin in order to "go along with him". In certain regions, [[Charon's obol|coins to pay Charon]], who ferries the dead to the underworld, are also placed inside the casket. A last kiss is given to the beloved dead by the family before the coffin is closed.

[[File:2011 Enterrement de Jacquotte.jpg|thumb|left|Funeral with [[flowers]] on [[marble]]]]
The Roman orator [[Cicero]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Marcus Tullius Cicero |url=https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/marcus-tullius-cicero |website=www.history.com |date=16 December 2009 |publisher=A&E Television Networks |access-date=22 February 2019}}</ref> describes the habit of planting flowers around the tomb as an effort to guarantee the repose of the deceased and the purification of the ground, a custom that is maintained until today. After the ceremony, the mourners return to the house of the deceased for the ''perídeipnon'', the dinner after the burial. According to archaeological findings – traces of ash, bones of animals, shards of crockery, dishes and basins – the dinner during the classical era was also organized at the burial spot. Taking into consideration the written sources, however, the dinner could also be served in the houses.<ref>{{cite web|author=Ανώνυμος Πιστός και Απολογητής του Χριστού |url=http://www.apologitis.com/gr/ancient/tafi_ethima.htm |title=Apologitis.com |publisher=Apologitis.com |access-date=2013-05-21}}</ref>

The ''Necrodeipnon'' (Νεκρόδειπνον) was the funeral banquet which was given at the house of the nearest relative.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0062:entry=necrodeipnon-harpers|title=Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (1898), Necrodeipnon|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n8VsONHSDDQC&dq=%CE%9D%CE%B5%CE%BA%CF%81%CF%8C%CE%B4%CE%B5%CE%B9%CF%80%CE%BD%CE%BF%CE%BD&pg=PA346|title=The Odyssey of Homer|date=March 4, 1858|publisher=Leavitt and Allen|via=Google Books}}</ref>

Two days after the burial, a ceremony called "the thirds" was held. Eight days after the burial the relatives and the friends of the deceased assembled at the burial spot, where "the ninths" would take place, a custom still kept. In addition to this, in the modern era, [[memorial services]] take place 40 days, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 1 year after the death and from then on every year on the anniversary of the death. The relatives of the deceased, for an unspecified length of time that depends on them, are in mourning, during which women wear black clothes and men a black armband.{{Clarify|date=June 2016|reason=this section is about ancient Greece. Is this modern Greece, or what? Is it religious or national?}}

''Nekysia'' (Νεκύσια), meaning the day of the dead, and ''Genesia'' (Γενέσια), meaning the day of the forefathers (ancestors), were yearly feasts in honour of the dead.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0062:entry=nekysia-harpers|title=Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (1898), Nekysia|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| author = Evy Johanne Haland| title = Rituals of Death and Dying in Modern and Ancient Greece| date = 2 October 2014| publisher = Cambridge Scholars Publishing| isbn = 978-1443861274| page = 320| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=XC9QBwAAQBAJ}}</ref>

''Nemesia'' (Νεμέσια) or ''Nemeseia'' (Nεμέσεια) was also a yearly feast in honour of the dead, most probably intended for averting the anger of the dead.<ref>{{cite book| author = Erwin Rohde| title = Psyche: The Cult of Souls and Belief in Immortality among the Greeks.| date = 10 July 2014| publisher = Martino Fine Books| isbn = 978-1684223176| page = 168| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=bq0ABAAAQBAJ}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0063:entry=nemeseia-cn|title=A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890), NEMESEIA|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu}}</ref>

====Ancient Rome====
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2014}}
[[File:Sepolcro degli Scipioni 001 Entrata.jpg|thumb|Tomb of the [[Cornelia (gens)#Cornelii Scipiones|Scipios]], in use from the 3rd century BCE to the 1st century CE]]
{{Main|Roman funerals and burial}}
In [[ancient Rome]], the eldest surviving male of the household, the ''pater familias'', was summoned to the death-bed, where he attempted to catch and inhale the last breath of the decedent.

Funerals of the socially prominent usually were undertaken by professional undertakers called ''libitinarii''. No direct description has been passed down of Roman funeral rites. These rites usually included a public procession to the tomb or pyre where the body was to be cremated. The surviving relations bore masks bearing the images of the family's deceased ancestors. The right to carry the masks in public eventually was restricted to families prominent enough to have held ''curule magistracies''. Mimes, dancers, and musicians hired by the undertakers, and professional female mourners, took part in these processions. Less well-to-do Romans could join benevolent funerary societies (''collegia funeraticia'') that undertook these rites on their behalf.

Nine days after the disposal of the body, by burial or cremation, a [[Banquet|feast]] was given (''cena novendialis'') and a libation poured over the grave or the ashes. Since most Romans were cremated, the ashes typically were collected in an urn and placed in a niche in a collective tomb called a ''columbarium'' (literally, "dovecote").<ref>{{Cite web |title=Columbarium {{!}} Roman, Architecture, Memorial {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/columbarium |access-date=2025-04-20 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> During this nine-day period, the house was considered to be tainted, ''funesta'', and was hung with Taxus baccata or Mediterranean Cypress branches to warn passersby. At the end of the period, the house was swept out to symbolically purge it of the taint of death.

Several Roman holidays commemorated a family's dead ancestors, including the ''Parentalia'', held February 13 through 21, to honor the family's ancestors; and the [[Lemuralia|Feast of the Lemures]], held on May 9, 11, and 13, in which [[ghost]]s (''larvae'') were feared to be active, and the ''pater familias'' sought to appease them with offerings of beans.

The Romans prohibited cremation or inhumation within the sacred boundary of the city ''([[pomerium]])'', for both religious and civil reasons, so that the priests might not be contaminated by touching a dead body, and that houses would not be endangered by funeral fires.

Restrictions on the length, ostentation, expense of, and behaviour during funerals and mourning gradually were enacted by a variety of lawmakers. Often the pomp and length of rites could be politically or socially motivated to advertise or aggrandise a particular kin group in Roman society. This was seen as deleterious to society and conditions for grieving were set. For instance, under some laws, women were prohibited from loud wailing or lacerating their faces and limits were introduced for expenditure on tombs and burial clothes.

The Romans commonly built tombs for themselves during their lifetime. Hence these words frequently occur in ancient inscriptions, V.F. Vivus Facit, V.S.P. Vivus Sibi Posuit. The tombs of the rich usually were constructed of [[marble]], the ground enclosed with walls, and planted around with trees. But common sepulchres usually were built below ground, and called [[hypogea]]. There were niches cut out of the walls, in which the urns were placed; these, from their resemblance to the niche of a pigeon-house, were called [[Columbarium|columbaria]].

===North American funerals===
Within the United States and Canada, in most cultural groups and regions, the funeral rituals can be divided into three parts: visitation, funeral, and the burial service. A [[home funeral]] (services prepared and conducted by the family, with little or no involvement from professionals) is legal in nearly every part of North America, but in the 21st century, they are uncommon in the US.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.registerguard.com/news/20191117/saying-goodbye-your-way|title=When her 4-year-old son died, she wanted a home funeral. A professional didn't know that was possible|last=Parafiniuk-Talesnick|first=Tatiana|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-06|archivedate=2019-12-06|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206053335/https://www.registerguard.com/news/20191117/saying-goodbye-your-way|url-status=deviated}}</ref>
[[File:South Korea funeral motorcade.jpg|thumb|A western-style funeral motorcade for a member of a high-ranking military family in [[South Korea]]]]

====Visitation====<!-- This section is linked from Coffin -->
{{redirect|Open casket}}
At the ''visitation'' (also called a "[[Viewing (funeral)|viewing]]", "[[Wake (ceremony)|wake]]" or "calling hours"), in Christian or secular Western custom, the body of the deceased person (or decedent) is placed on display in the casket (also called a coffin, however almost all body containers are caskets). The viewing often takes place on one or two evenings before the funeral. In the past, it was common practice to place the casket in the decedent's home or that of a relative for viewing. This practice continues in many areas of Ireland and Scotland. The body is traditionally dressed in the decedent's best clothes. In recent times there has been more variation in what the decedent is dressed in – some people choose to be dressed in clothing more reflective of how they dressed in life. The body will often be adorned with common jewelry, such as watches, necklaces, brooches, etc. The jewelry may be taken off and given to the family of the deceased prior to burial or be buried with the deceased. Jewelry has to be removed before cremation in order to prevent damage to the crematory. The body may or may not be embalmed, depending upon such factors as the amount of time since the death has occurred, religious practices, or requirements of the place of burial.

The most commonly prescribed aspects of this gathering are that the attendees sign a book kept by the deceased's survivors to record who attended. In addition, a family may choose to display photographs taken of the deceased person during his/her life (often, formal portraits with other family members and candid pictures to show "happy times"), prized possessions and other items representing his/her hobbies and/or accomplishments. A more recent trend is to create a DVD with pictures and video of the deceased, accompanied by music, and play this DVD continuously during the visitation.

The viewing is either "open casket", in which the embalmed body of the deceased has been clothed and treated with cosmetics for display; or "closed casket", in which the coffin is closed. The coffin may be closed if the body was too badly damaged because of an accident or fire or other trauma, deformed from illness, if someone in the group is emotionally unable to cope with viewing the corpse, or if the deceased did not wish to be viewed. In cases such as these, a picture of the deceased, usually a formal photo, is placed atop the casket.

[[File:Tombstone of Yossele the Holy Miser.jpg|thumb|left|The tombstone of [[Yossele the Holy Miser]]. According to [[Jewish bereavement]] tradition, the dozens of stones on his tombstone mark respect for the Holy Miser.]]
However, this step is foreign to Judaism; Jewish funerals are held soon after death (preferably within a day or two, unless more time is needed for relatives to come), and the corpse is never displayed. Torah law forbids embalming.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/282548/jewish/The-Basics.htm |title=Torah law forbids embalming |publisher=Chabad.org |access-date=2013-05-21}}</ref> Traditionally flowers (and music) are not sent to a grieving Jewish family as it is a reminder of the life that is now lost. The Jewish [[Shiva (Judaism)|shiva]] tradition discourages family members from cooking, so food is brought by friends and neighbors.<ref name=":4" /> (''See also [[Jewish bereavement]].'')

The decedent's closest friends and relatives who are unable to attend frequently send flowers to the viewing, with the exception of a Jewish funeral,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whichfuneralplans.com/_webedit/uploaded-files/All%20Files/Jewish_Funeral_and_Mourning_Customs.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141222112216/http://www.whichfuneralplans.com/_webedit/uploaded-files/All%20Files/Jewish_Funeral_and_Mourning_Customs.pdf |archive-date=2014-12-22 |url-status=dead |title=Jewish Funeral and Mourning Customs |website=whichfuneralplans.com |access-date=2014-11-26 }}</ref> where flowers would not be appropriate (donations are often given to a charity instead).

[[Obituary|Obituaries]] sometimes contain a request that attendees do not send flowers (e.g. "In lieu of flowers"). The use of these phrases has been on the rise for the past century. In the US in 1927, only 6% of the obituaries included the directive, with only 2% of those mentioned [[charitable organization|charitable contributions]] instead. By the middle of the century, they had grown to 15%, with over 54% of those noting a charitable contribution as the preferred method of expressing sympathy.<ref>A Centennial History of the American Florist, a publication of Florists' Review Enterprises, Inc., Frances Porterfield Dudley, Publisher, 1997.</ref>

====Funeral====
[[File:Baby Funeral - DPLA - 0988dd5995f3643b8e3b9a444c068c52.jpg|thumb|left|Funeral for a child, 1920]]
The deceased is usually transported from the funeral home to a church in a hearse, a specialized vehicle designed to carry casketed remains. The deceased is often transported in a procession (also called a funeral cortège), with the [[hearse]], funeral service vehicles, and private automobiles traveling in a procession to the church or other location where the services will be held. In a number of jurisdictions, special laws cover funeral processions – such as requiring most other vehicles to give right-of-way to a funeral procession. Funeral service vehicles may be equipped with light bars and special flashers to increase their visibility on the roads. They may also all have their headlights on, to identify which vehicles are part of the cortege, although the practice also has roots in ancient Roman customs.<ref>Olmert, Michael (1996). ''Milton's Teeth and Ovid's Umbrella: Curiouser & Curiouser Adventures in History'', p.34. Simon & Schuster, New York. {{ISBN|0-684-80164-7}}.</ref> After the funeral service, if the deceased is to be buried the funeral procession will proceed to a cemetery if not already there. If the deceased is to be cremated, the funeral procession may then proceed to the crematorium.

[[File:Beethoven Funerals.jpg|thumb|[[Death of Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s funeral as depicted by [[Franz Xaver Stöber]]]]
Funeral customs vary from country to country. In the United States, any type of noise other than quiet whispering or mourning is considered disrespectful.

A burial tends to cost more than a cremation.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Statistics|url=https://nfda.org/news/statistics|access-date=2021-04-22|website=nfda.org}}</ref>

====Burial service====
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2014}}
[[File:Millais - Das Tal der Stille.jpg|right|thumb|[[John Everett Millais]] – The Vale of Rest]]

At a religious burial service, conducted at the side of the grave, [[tomb]], [[mausoleum]] or cremation, the body of the decedent is buried or cremated at the conclusion.

Sometimes, the burial service will immediately follow the funeral, in which case a [[funeral procession]] travels from the site of the funeral to the burial site. In some other cases, the burial service is the funeral, in which case the procession might travel from the cemetery office to the grave site. Other times, the burial service takes place at a later time, when the final resting place is ready, if the death occurred in the middle of winter.

If the decedent served in a branch of the Armed forces, [[military rites]] are often accorded at the burial service.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Administration|first=National Cemetery|title=Military Funeral Honors - National Cemetery Administration|url=https://www.cem.va.gov/military_funeral_honors.asp|access-date=2021-04-22|website=www.cem.va.gov|language=en}}</ref>

In many religious traditions, [[pallbearer]]s, usually males who are relatives or friends of the decedent, will carry the casket from the chapel (of a funeral home or church) to the hearse, and from the hearse to the site of the burial service.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Three Important Things To Know About Choosing Pallbearers|url=https://www.everplans.com/articles/three-important-things-to-know-about-choosing-pallbearers|access-date=2021-04-22|website=Everplans|language=en}}</ref>

Most religions expect coffins to be kept closed during the burial ceremony. In [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Eastern Orthodox]] funerals, the coffins are reopened just before burial to allow mourners to look at the deceased one last time and give their final farewells. Greek funerals are an exception as the coffin is open during the whole procedure unless the state of the body does not allow it.

[[File:Medieval Royal Funeral007.jpg|thumb|[[Middle Ages|Medieval]] depiction of a royal body being laid in a coffin]]
Morticians may ensure that all jewelry, including wristwatch, that were displayed at the wake are in the casket before it is buried or entombed. Custom requires that everything goes into the ground; however this is not true for Jewish services. Jewish tradition stipulates that nothing of value is buried with the deceased.

In the case of cremation such items are usually removed before the body goes into the furnace. Pacemakers are removed prior to cremation – if left in they could explode.

===Indigenous Americans===
Funerals for indigenous people, like many other cultures, are a method to remember, commemorate and respect the dead through their own cultural practices and traditions.

==== California ====
[[Dakota Access Pipeline|In the past]], there has been scrutiny when the topic of indigenous funeral sites was approached. Thus the federal government deemed it necessary to include a series of acts that would protect and accurately affiliate some of these burials with their correct native individuals or groups. This was enacted through the [[Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act]]. Furthermore, in 2001 California created the California Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act that would "require all state agencies and museums that receive state funding and that have possession or control over collections of humans remains or cultural items to provide a process for identification and repatriates of these items to appropriate tribes." In 2020, it was amended to include tribes that were beyond State and Federal knowledge.

=== Western Yuman region ===
In the [[Ipai language|Ipai]], [[Kumeyaay|Tipai]], [[Paipai people|Paipai]], and [[Kiliwa people|Kiliwa]] regions funeral practices are similar in their social and power dynamics. The way that these funeral sites were created was based on previous habitation. Meaning, these were sites were their peoples may have died or if they had been a temporary home for some of these groups.<ref name="Laylander 159–176">{{Cite journal |last=Laylander |first=Don |date=September 2011 |title=Diversity in Prehistoric Burials and Cemeteries in the Western Yuman Region |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1179/cal.2011.3.2.159 |journal=California Archaeology |language=en |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=159–176 |doi=10.1179/cal.2011.3.2.159 |s2cid=128819838 |issn=1947-461X}}</ref> Additionally, these individual burials were characterized by grave markers and/or grave offerings. The markers included inverted metates, fractured pieces of metates as well as cairns. As for offerings, food, shell and stone beads were often found in burial mounds along with portions human remains.

The state of the human remains found at the site can vary, data suggests<ref name="Laylander 159–176"/> that cremations are recent in prehistory compared to just burials. Ranging from the middle [[Holocene]] era to the Late [[Prehistory|Prehistoric Period]]. Additionally, the position these people were placed in plays a role in how the afterlife was viewed. With recent ethnographic evidence coming from the Yuman people, it is believed that the spirits of the dead could potentially harm the living. so, they would often layer the markers or offerings above the body so that they would be unable to "leave" their graves and enact harm.
[[File:Western Yuman.png|thumb|Western Yuman Region, California and Baja California]]

====Tongva====
In the Los Angeles Basin, researchers discovered communal mourning features at West Bluffs and Landing Hill. These communal mourning rituals were estimated to have taken place during the Intermediate Period (3,000-1,000 B.P.). Archaeologists have found fragmented pieces of a large schist pestle which was deliberately broken in a methodical way. Other fragmented vessels show signs of uneven burning on the interior surface presumed to have been caused by burning combustible material.

In the West Bluffs and Landing Hill assemblages there are many instances of artifacts that were dyed in red ochre pigment after being broken. The tradition of intentionally breaking objects has been a custom in the region for thousands of  years for the purpose of releasing the spirit within the object, reducing harm to the community, or as an expression of grief. Pigmentation of grave goods also has many interpretations, the Chumash associate the color red with both earth and fire. While some researchers consider the usage of the red pigment as an important transitional moment in the adult life cycle.<ref>Hull, K. L., Douglass, J. G., & York, A. L. (2013). Recognizing ritual action and intent in communal mourning features on the Southern California coast. American Antiquity, 78(1), 24-47.</ref>

===Memorial services<!--'Memorial service' and 'Memorial services' redirect here-->===
{{see also|Memorial service in the Eastern Orthodox Church}}
[[Image:BrochureMemorialSvcWilliamMcKinleyInsidePagesNashuaNH09191901.jpg|thumb|Order of exercises, local memorial service in Nashua, New Hampshire, for U.S. President [[William McKinley]] on September 19, 1901, following his assassination]]

A '''memorial service'''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA--><ref name=":104">{{Cite news|url=https://funeralprintings.com/a-funeral-program-for-the-memories-of-the-deceased/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201007184931/https://funeralprintings.com/a-funeral-program-for-the-memories-of-the-deceased/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2020-10-07|title=memorial service|date=2020}}</ref> or '''service of remembrance''' is one given for the deceased, often without the body present. The service takes place ''after'' cremation or [[burial at sea]], after donation of the body to an academic or research institution, or after the ashes have been scattered. It is also significant when the person is [[Declared death in absentia|missing and presumed dead]], or known to be deceased though the body is not recoverable. These services often take place at a funeral home;<ref>{{Cite web|title=Memorial Service vs Funeral {{!}} Why Choose a Memorial Service|url=https://www.honanfh.com/memorial-services|access-date=2021-04-22|website=www.honanfh.com}}</ref> however, they can be held in a home, university, town hall, country club, restaurant, beach, community center, pub, workplace, hotel, museum, place of worship, townhouse, hospital chapel, health club, sports field, performing arts center, mausoleum chapel, an urban park or other location of some significance. A memorial service may include speeches (eulogies), prayers, poems, or songs (most particularly hymns) to commemorate the deceased. Pictures of the deceased and flowers with sometimes an urn are usually placed where the coffin would normally be placed.

After the sudden deaths of important public officials, public memorial services have been held by communities, including those without any specific connection to the deceased. For examples, community memorial services were held after the [[assassination of James A. Garfield|assassinations of US presidents James A. Garfield]] and [[assassination of William McKinley|William McKinley]].

===European funerals===
====United Kingdom====
In the UK, funerals are commonly held at a church, crematorium or cemetery chapel.<ref name="which">{{cite web|url=https://www.which.co.uk/later-life-care/end-of-life/funeral-arrangements/plans-for-the-service-itself-af3tb8f3j8kl|title=Planning a funeral service|publisher=Which? magazine|date=2019-08-09|access-date=2019-10-01}}</ref> Historically, it was customary to bury the dead, but since the 1960s, cremation has been more common.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.urnsforashes.co.uk/cremation-statistics/|title=National Cremation Statistics 1960–2017|publisher=The Cremation Society of Great Britain|date=2018-08-03|access-date=2010-09-08}}</ref>

While there is no visitation ceremony like in North America, relatives may view the body beforehand at the [[funeral home]]. A room for viewing is usually called a ''chapel of rest''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.funeralguide.co.uk/help-resources/arranging-a-funeral/what-is-a-chapel-of-rest|title=Chapel of Rest &#124; What is a Chapel of Rest? - Funeral Guide|website=www.funeralguide.co.uk}}</ref> Funerals typically last about half an hour.<ref name="which-cremation"/> They are sometimes split into two ceremonies: a main funeral and a shorter ''committal'' ceremony. In the latter, the coffin is either handed over to a crematorium<ref name="which-cremation">{{cite web|url=https://www.which.co.uk/later-life-care/end-of-life/funeral-arrangements/cremation-service-a33fj9x7m3tk|title=Planning a cremation service|publisher=Which? magazine|date=2019-08-09|access-date=2019-10-01}}</ref> or buried in a cemetery.<ref name="which-burial">{{cite web|url=https://www.which.co.uk/later-life-care/end-of-life/funeral-arrangements/planning-a-burial-asjqw4r4pwjc|title=Planning a burial|publisher=Which? magazine|date=2019-08-09|access-date=2019-10-01}}</ref> This allows the funeral to be held at a place without cremation or burial facilities. Alternatively, the entire funeral may be held in the chapel of the crematorium or cemetery. It is not customary to view a cremation; instead, the coffin may be removed from the chapel or hidden with curtains towards the end of the funeral.<ref name="which-cremation"/>

After the funeral, it is common for the mourners to gather for refreshments. This is sometimes called a [[Wake (ceremony)|wake]], though this is different from how the term is used in other countries, where a wake is a ceremony before the funeral.<ref name="which"/>

====Finland====
[[File:Mannerheims funeral parade Helsinki.png|thumb|A funeral parade of [[Marshal Mannerheim]] in [[Helsinki]], Finland, on February 4, 1951. [[Helsinki Lutheran Cathedral]] on the background.]]
In Finland, religious funerals (''hautajaiset'') are quite [[Asceticism|ascetic]] and typically follow [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] traditions.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Butters |first=Maija |date=2017-01-02 |title=Between East and West: A diachronic overview of Finnish death culture |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07481187.2016.1257885 |journal=Death Studies |language=en |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=51–60 |doi=10.1080/07481187.2016.1257885 |issn=0748-1187}}</ref> The local priest or minister says prayers and blesses the deceased in their house. The mourners (''saattoväki'') traditionally bring food to the mourners' house. Common current practice has the deceased placed into the coffin in the place where they died. The undertaker will pick up the coffin and place it in the hearse and drive it to the funeral home, while the closest relatives or friends of the deceased will follow the hearse in a funeral procession in their own cars. The coffin will be held at the funeral home until the day of the funeral. The funeral services may be divided into two parts. First is the church service (''siunaustilaisuus'') in a cemetery chapel or local church, then the burial.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The funeral service |url=https://www.helsinginseurakunnat.fi/en/artikkelit/thefuneralservice |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=Helsingin seurakunnat |language=en}}</ref>

====Iceland====
{{further|Icelandic funeral|}}

====Italy====
The majority of Italians are [[Roman Catholic]] and follow [[Catholic funeral]] traditions. Historically, mourners would walk in a funeral procession to the gravesite; today vehicles are used.

====Greece====
Greek funerals are generally held in churches, including a [[Trisagion]] service. There is usually a 40-day mourning period, and the end of which, a memorial service is held. Every year following, a similar service takes place, to mark the anniversary of the death.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Laemers |first=Dave |date=2016-08-24 |title=A History of Greek Funerals |url=https://basicfunerals.ca/cultural-funerals/history-greek-funerals/ |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=Basic Funerals |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Seremetakis |first=Constantina Nadia |title=The last word: women, death, and divination in Inner Mani |date=1997 |publisher=Univ. of Chicago Press |isbn=978-0-226-74876-4 |edition=Nachdr. |location=Chicago}}</ref>

====Poland====
{{see also|Catholic funeral|}}
In Poland, in urban areas, there are usually two, or just one "stop". The body, brought by a hearse from the mortuary, may be taken to a church or to a cemetery chapel. There is then a funeral mass or service at the cemetery chapel. Following the mass or Service the casket is carried in procession (usually on foot) by hearse to the grave. Once at the grave-site, the priest will commence the graveside committal service and the casket is lowered. The mass or service usually takes place at the cemetery.

In some traditional rural areas, the wake (''czuwanie'') takes place in the house of the deceased or their relatives. The body lies in state for three days in the house. The funeral usually takes place on the third day. Family, neighbors and friends gather and pray during the day and night on those three days and nights. There are usually three stages in the funeral ceremony (''ceremonia pogrzebowa'', ''pogrzeb''): the wake (''czuwanie''), then the body is carried by procession (usually on foot) or people drive in their own cars to the church or cemetery chapel for mass, and another procession by foot to the gravesite.

After the funeral, families gather for a post-funeral get-together (''stypa''). It can be at the family home, or at a function hall. In Poland cremation is less popular because the Catholic Church in Poland prefers traditional burials (though cremation is allowed). Cremation is more popular among non-religious people and Protestants in Poland.

====Russia====
{{further|Russian traditions and superstitions|}}

====Scotland====
An old funeral rite from the Scottish Highlands involved burying the deceased with a wooden plate resting on his chest. On the plate were placed a small amount of earth and salt, to represent the future of the deceased. The earth hinted that the body would decay and become one with the earth, while the salt represented the soul, which does not decay. This rite was known as "earth laid upon a corpse". This practice was also carried out in Ireland, as well as in parts of England, particularly in Leicestershire, although in England the salt was intended to prevent air from distending the corpse.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=bmpMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA262&lpg=PA262 "Salt"], IN: ''The Table Book of Daily Recreation and Information; Concerning Remarkable Men, Manners, Times, Seasons, Solemnities, Merry-Makings, Antiquities and Novelties, Forming a Complete History of the Year'', ed. William Hone, (London: 1827) p 262. Retrieved on 2008-07-02.</ref>

====Spain====
In Spain, a burial or cremation may occur very soon after a death. Most Spaniards are Roman Catholics and follow Catholic funeral traditions. First, family and friends sit with the deceased during the wake until the burial. Wakes are a social event and a time to laugh and honor the dead. Following the wake comes the [[funeral mass]] (Tanatorio) at the church or cemetery chapel. Following the mass is the burial. The coffin is then moved from the church to the local cemetery, often with a procession of locals walking behind the hearse.
====Sweden====
[[File:Magnus Olsson funeral 2024-08-20-019.jpg|thumb|Funeral procession at [[Katarina Church]] in Stockholm in 2024]]
The first Swedish evangelical order of burial was given in [[Olaus Petri]]'s handbook of 1529. From the medieval order, it had only kept burial and cremation.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite book|editor=[[Gunnar Carlquist|Carlquist, Gunnar]] |year=1933 |title=[[Swedish reference book]]. Bd 14 |publication-place=Malmö |publisher=Svensk Upslagsbok AB |page=607}}</ref> The funeral where the priest blessed the recently deceased, which after the Reformation came to be called a reading, was forbidden in the church order of 1686, but was taken over by lay people instead. It was then followed by the wake, which was banned by the church law in 1686, when it was often considered degenerate to do dancing and games where beer and brandy were served.<ref>''Nationalencyklopedin'' multimedia plus, 2000</ref> It came however, to live on in the custom of "singing out corpses". In older times, the grave was often shoveled closed during the hymn singing. During the 17th century, homilies became common, they were later replaced by grift speeches, which, however, never became mandatory. In 1686, it was decided that those who had lived a Christian life should be ''honestly and properly buried in a grave''. It also determined that the burial would be performed by a priest in the Church of Sweden (later some religious communities were given the right to bury their dead themselves). Burial could only take place at a burial site intended for the purpose. Loss of honorable burial became a punishment. A distinction was made between silent burial (for some serious criminals) and quiet burial without singing and [[bell ringing]] and with abbreviated ritual (for some criminals, unbaptized children and for those who committed suicide). Church burial was compulsory for members of the Church of Sweden until 1926, when the possibility was opened for civil burial.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

====Wales====
Traditionally, a good funeral (as they were called) had one draw the curtains for a period of time; at the wake, when new visitors arrived, they would enter from the front door and leave through the back door. The women stayed at home whilst the men attended the funeral, the village priest would then visit the family at their home to talk about the deceased and to console them.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/wales/entries/9c24f1e1-d62c-3e28-a1db-7664cad06183|title=A good Welsh funeral|date=28 October 2010|website=BBC Wales}}</ref>

The first child of [[William Price (physician)|William Price]], a [[Wales|Welsh]] [[Neo-Druidism|Neo-Druidic]] priest, died in 1884. Believing that it was wrong to bury a corpse, and thereby pollute the earth, Price decided to cremate his son's body, a practice which had been common in [[Celts (modern)|Celtic]] societies.
The police arrested him for the illegal disposal of a corpse.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/09/15/1032054710047.html?oneclick=true| title = Druid doc with a bee in his bonnet | access-date = 2007-02-03 | first = Tim | last = Harris | work = theage.com.au | date = 2002-09-16 | location= Melbourne}}</ref> Price successfully argued in court that while the law did not state that cremation was legal, it also did not state that it was illegal. The case set a precedent that, together with the activities of the newly founded Cremation Society of Great Britain, led to the ''Cremation Act 1902''.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://webapps.rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk/heritagetrail/english/taf/drwilliamprice.html|title= Doctor William Price|publisher= Rhondda Cynon Taf Library Service|access-date= 1 June 2012|archivedate= 18 August 2018|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20180818052233/http://webapps.rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk/heritagetrail/english/taf/drwilliamprice.html|url-status= deviated}}</ref> The Act imposed procedural requirements before a cremation could occur and restricted the practice to authorised places.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.srgw.demon.co.uk/CremSoc3/StatutoryLaw/CAct1902.html | title = Cremation Act, 1902 | access-date = 2007-02-03 | archive-date = 2017-12-18 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171218073527/http://www.srgw.demon.co.uk/CremSoc3/StatutoryLaw/CAct1902.html | url-status = dead }}</ref>