Editing Funeral (section)

===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>