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One of the truths of our being is death. Each one of use has to confront it and is yet unprepared for it. Holding a service in memory of the deceased is a very old tradition that has witnessed a lot of changes. A traditional funeral service used to be held in church, with specific hymns, recitals and a eulogy for the departed. But, as a larger number of people are looking forward to personalized services, the practice has undergone change over the last few decades.

Planning a funeral service, right after the death of a loved one can be a very disturbing and painful experience. One of the misconceptions about service is that it is legally mandatory for the family of the deceased to organize a service, but this is not true.

Secondly, a majority of people have an erroneous belief that a service can be held only in a church. It is crucial to note that conventionally, such services were conducted in church but nowadays, with significance being attached to a personal touch, funeral services are being increasingly held in homes.

Thirdly, such services do not mandate the involvement of any clergy or pastor or even a casket as a compulsory requirement.

However, for any such personal funeral service, you have to keep the deceased person in mind while making the arrangements. Music, should be something that is soft, soothing and from the personal favourites of the deceased. You have the choice of playing recorded music or hiring a live music band.

There is also an increasing trend of exhibiting the personal items of the departed to display his or her personality to the entire world. It is also important to include an address in the service in form of a speech, poem or a song dedicated to the departed by a close friend or relative.

Finally, it is essential to give a memento to people who attend the funeral service, so that they can remember the deceased forever.

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Arranging and organising activities related to funerals are usually left in charge of undertakers, who are also called funeral directors. Given below are a few of the important skills and personal qualities that undertakers should possess to rise in their job.

As his services may be required at any time of the day, an undertaker must be ready to work at odd hours too. This is primarily an outdoors job, which will need him to be outside the office for long hours.

An undertaker must be a good communicator and a patient listener. People from various cultures, sects and ethnicities as well as those of any age will have to be managed by him with equal ease. He should be compassionate and must empathize with others. But he will need to offer support to the grieving family and should remain strong and emotionally detached so that he can perform his functions well.

Undertakers must be serious and dignified by nature, but should not look sad or morose, as this may heighten the grief of the family members of the deceased.

Undertakers must have extensive knowledge and deep respect for the religious beliefs and sentiments of various cultures and communities. They should be conscious of various customs and practices followed by various sects during the funeral ceremony.

Excellent management and the power to organise are essential skills an undertaker should possess. A number of services will need to be arranged by the undertaker and this will need good coordination and management skills from the undertaker.

As the undertaker will shoulder the responsibility of obtaining all clearances and adhering to all regulations related to the event, he will need to be well versed in such procedures and legal formalities. He should also be aware of the official procedures to be followed for obtaining insurance claims, death certificates etc.

Finally, an undertaker should know driving and must possess a valid driving license, as he may have to drive vehicles to transport the deceased.

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Whatever religion an individual belongs to, he or she could never escape the deep sorrow when a loved one dies. The religious affiliation of an individual should be able to help the person in this time of sadness and also in coming to terms with the passing away of their loved one.

One of the most widely practised religions in the world, Buddhism derives its main principles from the teachings of the Buddha. Buddhism involves quest for the Ultimate Truth and also a spirit of compassion and genuine love for every creature.

Buddhist funeral rites also rely on these fundamental principles of the religion. After the death of a person in a Buddhist family, certain rites have to be practised in order to make sure that the deceased’s soul rises to a higher stage in afterlife. Prayers are made calling upon the good energies of the dead person for his or her deliverance from this life cycle.

A traditional bath to the body marks the beginning of the Buddhist funeral rites. Then comes the stage of reading out from religious texts by the monks, thereby directing the soul towards the path of spiritual liberation. Then Buddha’s teachings that highlight the importance of kindness and concern are read out loud by the monks. Meanwhile, the body is prepared for the final journey. Friends and family members often keep some money in the casket of the deceased person. This is for enabling the deceased to pay and go across the River of Three Hells.

Then the casket is exhibited to the family and friends to allow them to pay their final respects by placing it at the altar. While friends and relatives give condolences, attendees are expected to pray for the dead person. The monks performing the rites keep reciting the sutras as the proceedings move on. Everyone present have to bow at the altar when this recital is over. As the visitors begin leaving, the family members give a gift to each other to show gratitude for partaking in their sorrow.

Once these rituals are over, the family members can decide to bury or cremate the deceased according to their family customs. In all, the rituals aim to bring a sense of peace and acceptance to the grieving family while praying to promote the departed to a higher stage of knowledge and realization.

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Buddhism is one of the most widespread religions practised extensively across the world. The main principles of the religion have been derived from the teachings of Lord Buddha. The followers of Buddhism are expected to show boundless love for all and try to attain the Ultimate Truth.

These fundamentals of Buddhism are reflected in the rites followed in a Buddhist funeral. There are certain mandatory rites that need to be adhered to during the funeral of a dead person. These rites are aimed at ensuring that the deceased is raised to a higher stage. Prayers are made invoking the good energies of the dead person for his or her deliverance from this cycle of life.

A traditional ablution of the deceased marks the start of the Buddhist funeral rites. Monks are invited to read out from religious scriptures, which are believed to give the soul the right guidance to achieve spiritual liberation. Then the Lord Buddha’s teachings that highlight the importance of kindness and compassion are recited aloud by the monks. Meanwhile, the body is made ready for the last journey. Friends and family usually place some coins in the casket of the dead person. This is supposed to help the deceased cross the River of Three Hells to reach his ultimate destination.

The casket is then put before the altar in the house for friends and relatives to pay their final respects. Visitors are required to pray for the deceased and the family and friends offer their condolences. The ceremony is accompanied with recitation of relevant sutras by the monks. After the chanting is over, people attending the ceremony bow at the altar. The family members then thank the attendees for sharing their grief by distributing gifts to them.

The family can decide upon whether to cremate the body or bury it as per their familial customs, once all these essential rituals are over. The rites and rituals are a means of bringing peace to the family members of the departed as they know their prayers are directed towards elevating the status of the departed in his after life.

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Arrangements and organising services linked to funerals are generally left in charge of undertakers, who are also known as funeral directors. To be successful in this profession the undertaker carrying out these duties should possess certain essential and unique skills and attributes.

Since an undertaker may be required at any time of the day, the person entering this profession must be willing to be on call for 24 hours. This is essentially an outdoors task, which will require him to be away from office for long hours.

To be an undertaker, a person must be able to interact well and be open to the opinions of others. People from different cultures, religions and ethnicities as well as those of different ages will have to be managed by him with equal ease. Understanding and sympathy will be of much importance in the course of his job. But he will have to offer support to the grieving family and should stay strong and emotionally detached so that he can perform his functions well.

Undertakers must be serious and dignified by nature, but must not look sad or morose, as this may heighten the grief of the family members of the deceased person.

Knowledge of different religious customs, rituals and beliefs and profound respect for these helps undertakers in succeeding in their profession. They must be aware of different customs and practices followed by different sects during the funeral service.

Excellent management and the power to organise are important skills for an undertaker. He must also have leadership abilities and should be able to interact with a large number of people – from the clergy members to the flower seller.

As the undertaker will be in charge of obtaining all clearances and adhering to all regulations with respect to the ceremony, he will have to be well versed in such procedures and legal matters. He will need to be fully conscious of rules to be followed with respect to collecting death certificates or claims for insurance.

Lastly, an undertaker must ensure that his driver’s licence is updated and that he can drive the funeral vehicle during the service.

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For devout Christians, a funeral service marks the beginning of the journey of the soul to the eternal life after death. Funeral services and rituals are alleviating, because of the positive belief that the departed soul has finally found an eternal home in God’s abode.

According to the Christians, death is an entry into the world of eternal bliss and permanent exit from this world of grief and agony. It provides some comfort to the bereaved family that the deceased is with the Lord Himself and is enjoying the bliss of heaven. This greatly helps in lessening the pain that death of a loved one causes. The Christian funeral service is performed by devout Christians keeping these beliefs in thought.

Christian funeral ceremony is normally officiated by the pastor. The services are often conducted inside the very church that was visited by the deceased during his lifetime. Generally there is no casket in the service, but sometimes there are exceptions to this, particularly when the service is conducted in a funeral home. A conventional Christian funeral ceremony does not involve public viewing of the deceased at the time of ceremony.

The funeral service is organized in the memory of the departed, and it begins with singing of religious hymns and recitals from the Holy Scriptures and the Bible. A short message is delivered by the priest, after which a mass prayer is held.

Next the family members and relatives share their grief with the group, and the attendees express their sentiments and respect for the dead person and share their ruminations on how the dead person touched their lives and left an everlasting void. Nowadays, people also do a slide show containing snapshots from the life of the deceased or play a video recording taken from the deceased’s lifetime.

The service finally ends with a brief fellowship reception at the church, where refreshments are served. A graveside service is not very common, though some Christian communities opt for that too.

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