 | Helps confirm the reality and finality of death |
| Provides a climate for mourning and the expression of grief |
| Allows the sorrows of one to become the sorrows of all |
| Is the only time when love is given and not expected in return |
| Is a vehicle for the community to pay it's respects |
| Encourages the affirmation of religious faith |
"The funeral is a declaration that a life has been lived, as well as a sociological statement that a death has occurred."
"The funeral of every person, no matter how humble was his state in life, can be just as meaningful of a well-known personage is to his bereaved. Every man is equally important in the eyes of God. And who, but God, is to say which ones loved Him more or served Him better."
EGYPT 2,500 BC
GREEKS 1,600 BC - 529 AD
ROMANS 753 BC - 476 AD
FALL OF WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE 476 AD
ORIGIN OF WESTERN FUNERAL PRACTICES (JUDEAO - CHRISTIAN BELIEFS)
DEVELOPMENT IN ENGLISH FUNERAL PRACTICES 1546 - 1900
EVOLUTION OF THE BURIAL RECEPTACLE (From Coffin to Casket)