entierro

Entierro is the act of burying a dead body in the ground, typically accompanied by a funeral ceremony. The term can also refer to the burial site or the tomb where remains are interred. In everyday Spanish, entierro is often used to denote the ceremony and the act of placing a body in a grave, while more technical language sometimes distinguishes inhumación as the act of burying and uses entierro primarily for the ceremonial aspects.

Etymology and usage: Entierro comes from the verb enterrar, meaning to bury. The noun form is widely used across Spanish-speaking regions to describe both the rite fúnebre and the physical act of consigning a body to the earth. It is also common to encounter the synonyms sepultura or inhumación, depending on regional preference and formality; cremación is the alternative process of reducing the body to ashes.

Cultural practices: Burial customs vary by country and culture but often include a wake or velorio, a funeral mass or ceremony, and the burial itself at a cemetery. In many Catholic-influenced societies, the sequence may involve a religious service, processional transport of the coffin, and interment in a designated grave or mausoleum. Increasingly, cremation has become a common alternative, affecting how enterrar is practiced or replaced in some communities.

Legal and regulatory aspects: Burial is typically subject to local regulations, requiring a death certificate, permits, and an approved cemetery or burial ground. Exhumation or reinterment generally requires formal authorization and compliance with legal procedures.

See also: sepultura, inhumación, cremación, cementerio, rito fúnebre.