Whether we like it or not, we have to visit a funeral home at least once in our lifetime. If the different services and rituals confuse you, and you don’t want to feel like a novice in front of the funeral director, here is a short introduction to 4 different funeral services.
Traditional services
As the name says, it is the traditional service followed by the church you belong to. Since the majority religion in the USA is Protestantism, the traditional services are often the ones followed by a protestant church. It includes having a casket or urn and a family member presenting a eulogy. There will be a visitation or viewing one day prior to the funeral usually for close family members and friends. There will be songs and hymns sung during the funeral service and there will be a pastor to give a sermon. If there is a burial, a hearse will carry the casket to the burial ground. A graveside committal service is often held after which the casket is buried, or if there is an urn, it is inurned. Then the family of the deceased host a reception or lunch for the mourners who attended the funeral.
Direct burial
Sometimes the family members don’t opt to have any funeral or other formal services but just burial. This is called direct burial and there is no visitation, funeral, or even graveside services. Family members may or may not say a few words, and the funeral home will then bury the casket. This often happens to families who don’t live where the deceased died and so want to have a simple funeral. They then held a memorial service at a place of their convenience at a later date.
Direct cremation
Similar to direct burial, direct cremation is done when there are no other funeral services or rituals. The funeral home will directly cremate the body and return the ashes to the family member in a simple urn. The family member then may or may not have a memorial service. If the family wants the remains in an attractive urn, that has to be paid separately. This is the least expensive final disposition.
Memorial service
This is the most common funeral service that is held in funeral homes. It is similar to traditional services but without any casketed body. If the body has been cremated, an urn is placed but most often, it is the picture of the deceased person that takes center stage. It is often held for people who don’t like religious services but want a gathering of friends and family members to say a final goodbye. It is also held for someone whose body could not be found or retrieved. The great thing about memorial service is that it can be done any time after the death, not necessarily within a time frame that occurs with other funeral services. So, a memorial service can be held even a year later! In the last two years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people who died due to it, had memorial services much later because their family members could not perform traditional services. So, these are the four different funeral services you will most often find in any funeral home you visit.
funeralhomemiami 