How do you envision your funeral happening one day? Do you want a traditional funeral held at your church? Do you want an open-casket visitation and a closed-casket service? Do you want a minister to lead the service? Do you want those gathered to sing your favorite hymns? What kind of flowers do you want to be draped on your casket, and where do you want to be buried?
Every family is special, and how
they choose to honor a loved one’s passing is as unique as them. In the funeral
industry, different words have similar meanings. For example, while some people
may refer to a professional in the industry as a funeral director, older people
may call the same person an undertaker.
The term funeral generally refers to a
formal ceremony where the body of the deceased is present. A funeral commonly
occurs within a few days of the person’s passing and takes place at a house of
worship or a funeral home. A funeral
service occurs with the body is present and has four main parts: the
visitation, funeral, committal, and reception. The ceremony will follow an order
prescribed by faith or custom. You may hear traditional hymns and readings from
the Bible at a Christian
funeral.
When
you think about memorial services,
you typically think of a traditional funeral without the body present since
that is how society has historically defined a memorial service. Not having the
body present allows for more flexibility but the service includes the elements
of the traditional funeral. If a person has
been cremated and a service is held with the cremated human remains (or the
body has already been buried), it is considered a Memorial Service.
In broad terms, a Celebration of Life is simply a ceremony that is designed to commemorate the life of someone who is no longer living (both their positive and negative qualities). It typically does not follow particular religious rites or requirements, and the body of the deceased is not present. There are no prescribed rules for when or where to hold the event or what elements to include. Instead, what takes place is explicitly tailored to the wishes of the deceased or their family and friends. This service may be a time for friends and family to gather to share memories. It may feel more like a party.
Large, traditional funerals can be costly affairs. Most of the expenses come from burial costs. Some of these expenses are fixed - burial vaults for example. But some other items come in at a range of price points. Caskets can range from simple to lavish. And the prices will reflect those differences. A memorial service won’t have the cost of a casket. That can be a deciding factor for many people.
If the budget is a concern, take the time to breakdown the cost of both events. Sometimes the cost of a funeral includes some kind of memorial service or wake. Make sure you separate that service to get an accurate picture of a funeral cost. Both events can be done regardless of your budget, but it’s always good to research before deciding. You don’t want to be worrying about how you’ll pay for something while mourning.
Funerals and memorial services are both about honoring the life of someone special. And they are a time for the family and friends of the deceased to grieve. Eulogies can be shared at funerals or memorial services. Playing funeral songs for the deceased is also done at both kinds of services.
“Every man’s life ends the same way. It is
only the details of how he lived and how he died that [distinguishes] one man from another.” (Ernest Hemingway)[i]
[i] Sources used:
·
“Celebration of Life or Funeral: What’s the difference?” by Funeralwise
·
“Funeral
vs Memorial Service” by Westchester Funeral Home
·
“Memorial Service vs.
Celebration of Life: What’s the Difference?” by Belinda McLeodis
·
“Memorial Service vs.
Funeral: What’s the Difference?” by Kate Wight
·
“What is the difference between a memorial service
and a funeral?” by Carlson Funeral Home and Crematory
No comments:
Post a Comment