Funeral homes Northern Cambria, PA, are part of life. No one loves to talk about death and funerals – and quite understandably. Statistics show that less than 14% of Americans ever talk about funerals with their friends and family until they have to visit one. It’s a no-brainer that most individuals are unaware of what to expect in a funeral except for a few common traditions that they watch in movies or TV shows.
Here’s a quick guide on what happens at a funeral:
- Soon after the death, the body arrives at the crematorium or church
- The funeral director prepares the loved one’s body in a coffin. In many cases, he or she places it in a chapel of rest (a remembrance room) or your home to allow immediate family members to pay one last tribute before the final service.
- On the day of the funeral, the coffin is placed in a hearse and driven to the church for final services. A procession of mourners often in cars or bikes – led by close friends and family – follow the hearse.
The Ceremony
The two most common types of funeral ceremonies in America and elsewhere are cremation and traditional burial.
Direct Cremation
Cremation involves burning the bodies with or without the presence of guests. The trend of direct cremation is on the rise in the US. Now, most funeral homes offer cremation services. The family have the prerogative to decide whether to choose a special site to cremate the deceased or arrange it in a church or any other place of worship
For cremation, the coffin is carried to the church by the pallbearers or immediate family members of the deceased. A celebrant or a member of the clergy often leads the funeral service. If you’re invited to cremation, your stay would be from 30-45 minutes to offer your services but it can be longer depending on the family rituals.
Finally, the coffin is taken to the cremation site for the cremation and the family collects the remains after a couple of weeks.
Burial
Once the memorial service is over at the church, the pallbearers carry the body to the hearse for another procession towards the burial site. Mostly, the natural burial ground is far away from the church but it can be near the church. For that, you don’t expect a hearse.
The coffin is placed for some time at the site to let visitors offer their final condolences and view the messages and floral tributes sent to the lost loved one. Then, the celebrant offers the final prayers and the coffin is lowered into the grave by the pallbearers.
The Reception or Wake
Many families arrange an informal event called reception for the close family and friends to gather together and honor the deceased. This ceremony can happen at the funeral home or in the family house of the deceased. The family can arrange it at any time after the burial or cremation.
It lasts for a few hours but you can depart from funeral homes Northern Cambria, PA after offering condolences to the family.
