56. Funeral Customs in the United States
America is one of the most diversified countries
the world. It is comprised of many different
from Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. It
truly a melting pot of diversity. All these
have come together to create a new culture -
American culture. Many of the traditions, customs,
, and celebrations of these cultures have been adopted
American culture, including funeral traditions.
Traditional American funerals
basic. They usually include some sort of religious
, followed by a procession to the burial grounds,
a small ceremony at the grave site, but
vary depending on the culture. At most American
, the deceased person's family sends out a death
called an obituary. These obits normally serve to
information to others about the deceased, and the
and day of the funeral event. At the
service, the deceased is usually eulogized by friends
family. This is where a person goes up
the front of the crowd to say a
things about the deceased, and how he or
affected their life. The procession usually takes the
of a caravan of private cars, and trucks
follow the hearse, which contains the deceased's coffin,
remains.
At the gravesite, another small ritual takes
where the deceased is given a blessing from
member of the clergy. Friends and family are
allowed to say goodbye to the deceased. There
an American tradition of picking up a handful
soil, and tossing it on the coffin as
way of saying farewell to the deceased. The
then gathers at a home, or restaurant with
of the attendees to have a meal, and
exchange stories before going on their way. Most
in the U.S. have adopted this traditional American
ritual, but many include features that are unique
their individual culture.
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