Question

What are the social and religious functions of a funeral?

Answer 1

1) Ans) A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect the dead, from interment, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor. Customs vary between cultures and religious groups. Common secular motivations for funerals include mourning the deceased, celebrating their life, and offering support and sympathy to the bereaved; additionally, funerals may have religious aspects that are intended to help the soul of the deceased reach the afterlife, resurrection or reincarnation.

A funeral gives friends and relatives an opportunity to express the love and respect they feel for someone who was important to them. Often, just seeing how much others care can help a family adjust to their loss. For thousands of years, funerals have been a means of expressing our beliefs, thoughts and feelings
In human societies, ‘necrophoresis' is performed via the funeral ceremony. In pre-modern societies, relatives and local community members helped to conduct funerals. In this way, holding a funeral was a form of mutual help, a social exchange of duty and responsibility essential to individuals. These societies developed systems to ensure the survival of humans as social animals based on mutual trust built over long periods of time within the same community. Contemporary societies are undermining these systems.

A religious funeral is a ceremony where loved ones and friends gather to mark the passing of someone who was important to them. A religious leader will preside over the event and guide mourners through the process of saying goodbye. Congregants are usually present to help guide everyone through the ceremony and any religious rituals that are associated with the event

In most religious traditions, prayers or chanting are common at funerals. This may feel unfamiliar to you. Attendees are not required to join in group prayers or chanting but may do so out of respect to the family. Some people feel moved by the ceremony to join in as a way of honoring the departed. This can happen even when they’re not familiar with the religious traditions guiding the funeral ceremony.

Religious funerals vary in their customs, but there are universal similarities that you can expect. If you are attending a religious funeral, you’ll feel more comfortable knowing about the customs before you attend. For instance, you can expect the funeral to be held at a house of worship. You can also expect prayers to be said out loud, no matter what type of religious funeral you’re attending.

There are a wide variety of religious funerals, but some of the most common are:

Buddhist Funerals

Catholic Funerals

Hindu Funerals

Islamic Funerals

Jewish Funerals

Non-Religious Funerals