Funeral

A funeral is a ceremony or service designed to honor and remember a person who has died. Funerals serve social, emotional, and cultural functions by providing a structured opportunity for mourning, commemoration, and the closure of a life story. The form of a funeral varies widely between cultures, religions, and communities, but most traditions include a public or semi-public component and a disposition of the body.

Common elements can include a visitation or wake, a formal service, music, readings or prayers, a eulogy, and rituals performed by a religious or secular officiant. After the service, a burial, cremation, or donation to science may follow, often accompanied by a graveside rite and a post-service gathering.

Planning a funeral involves legal and logistical steps such as obtaining a death certificate, securing necessary permits, and coordinating with a funeral home or cemetery. People may choose traditional or contemporary formats, direct disposition without a service, or environmentally conscious options such as green burial.

Religious and cultural beliefs strongly influence funeral practices. Examples include Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist, and Sikh rites, as well as secular humanist approaches. Across traditions, funerals tend to aim at honoring the deceased, supporting the bereaved, and transitioning from active life toward memory and legacy.