Death

[rahma]

Mainly because I'm moping about Heath Ledger, I've got death on my mind.

Are there rituals surrouding a person's death in your faith? If so, what are they?

 

[Stainless]

Mainly because I'm moping about Heath Ledger, I've got death on my mind.

Are there rituals surrouding a person's death in your faith? If so, what are they?

You have only one prime purpose in living. Harmonize what is within you and surrounding you.

Learn how to do it properly and there will be no death. But remember that harmony means motion, not merely peace.

But no, no rituals per se in mine, only regret in not acting soon enough to prevent it.

 

[Maxwell511]

Mainly because I'm moping about Heath Ledger, I've got death on my mind.

Are there rituals surrouding a person's death in your faith? If so, what are they?

Not a religious ritual but a cultural one. Essentially you bring the dead person back to their house, family and friends gather in the house and have a party of sorts to celebrate the persons life.

Here's the wikipage about it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wake_(ceremony)

What do you do?

 

[rahma]

Ah, the wake. We have that tradition here in the US too, although it's usually held in a funeral home.

One thing my mother has started for our family is to create huge photo boards of the deceased. She tries to get pictures with everyone in them, so that the people attending the funeral will look through them and be prompted to talk.

From a religious perspective, muslims wash the body of the deceased, and wrap him or her in white cloth. The community performs a prayer, and the person is buried, preferably in a simple grave.

I'm not really sure about anything beyond those basics that are from the sunnah (traditions) of the Prohpet (saws), because I've only participated in muslim funeral rites from the community level, ie participating in the funeral prayer. I'll have to ask my husband if they do anything more then that.

 

[rahul_sharma]

For Hindus, cremation is the method for dealing with the dead (infants are buried rather than cremated). At the funeral site, in the presence of the male mourners, the closest relative of the deceased (usually the eldest son) takes charge of the final rite....cremation and lights the funeral pyre.

After a cremation, ashes and fragments of bone are collected and eventually immersed in a holy river (most prefered is Holy river Ganga). After a funeral, everyone undergoes a purifying bath. The immediate family remains in a state of intense pollution for a set number of days (sometimes ten, eleven, or thirteen).

At the end of that period, close family members meet for a ceremonial meal and often give gifts to the poor or to charities.

A particular feature of the Hindu ritual is the preparation of rice balls (pinda) offered to the spirit of the dead person during memorial services. In part these ceremonies are seen as contributing to the merit of the deceased, but they also pacify the soul so that it will not linger in this world as a ghost but will pass through the realm of Yama, the god of death.

'Shradh' is practiced one year after the death of the person. This can either be an annual event or a large one-off event. This is the Hindu practice of giving food to the poor in memory of the deceased. A priest will say prayers for the deceased and during this time, usually lasting one month, the family will not buy any new clothes or attend any parties. Sons are responsible for carrying out Shradh.

 

[anatolian]

Here the rituals go on even after the funeral.For example on the 40th day the surah ya'sin is read by people near the grave.

 

[TheOutsider]

I don't believe that there is a death ritual in Discordianism but personally, I would like to be cremated and have my ashes scattered where the Mighty* Wabash River meets the White River.

* - river not actually "mighty"

EDIT: I forgot that there is video of a Discordian Funeral Process. Warning, it is kinda noisy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ-3yk7_kLU

 

[Vene]

I don't believe that there is a death ritual in Discordianism but personally, I would like to be cremated and have my ashes scattered where the Mighty* Wabash River meets the White River.

* - river not actually "mighty"

EDIT: I forgot that there is video of a Discordian Funeral Process. Warning, it is kinda noisy.
*video snipped*

I'm less than surprised that Discordians don't take funerals seriously. And that looks like a good sending for Wilson.

 

[Rasta]

Atheists really don't have any traditions as of now. I wonder, if atheism becomes more popular if they will?

 

[Teshi]

We wail a lot.

And then we have a huge awesome party.

It's really too bad you can only have a wake when someone's died...

 

[ProphetMarecavallo]

In Cavalloism, we set the body free into the ocean. Usually on a boat if possible, but if not just let them drift. If you don't live near the coast you must bury them in a salt-water filled casket.

 

[TheOutsider]

I'm less than surprised that Discordians don't take funerals seriously. And that looks like a good sending for Wilson.

From RAW's last blog entry: Please pardon my levity, I don't see how to take death seriously. It seems absurd.

Words to live (and die) by.

 

[NewToLife]

In Orthodoxy we bury the dead, there are 40 days of prayers for the deceased. There is naturally a funeral service. On the Sunday following the funeral a special commemoration service is held at the end of the Divine Liturgy as an expression of gratitude to Almighty God for His merciful will to grant rest and save the soul of the departed person. The same hymns and prayers, the Trisagion Service, were read before the funeral service and at the cemetery. Memorial services are also held on the third, ninth, fortieth days after the death of a person. Also, after three, six, nine and twelve months (one year), which are multiples of three months that remind us of the three days death and resurrection of Christ.

 

[Arthra]

Rahma asked:

Are there rituals surrouding a person's death in your faith? If so, what are they?


Baha'is do have some practices that may not be well known..

First the burial must be within an hour's journey of the passing of the person. So sending someone's remains say over a long distance is forbidden;

Secondly, the body cannot be embalmed or cremated.. It is permitted though to donate say organs to be used by a living person.

If the deceased is an adult Baha'i a special prayer is said in congregation...the only prayer permitted in congregation in our Faith.

In brief, the Bahá'í law for the burial of the dead states that it is forbidden to carry the body for more than one hour's journey from the place of death;

that the body should be wrapped in a shroud of silk or cotton, and on its finger should be placed a ring bearing the inscription "I came forth from God, and return unto Him, detached from all save Him, holding fast to His Name, the Merciful, the Compassionate";

and that the coffin should be of crystal, stone or hard fine wood.

A specific Prayer for the Dead is ordained, to be said before interment. As affirmed by `Abdu'l-Bahá and the Guardian, this law precludes cremation of the dead. The formal prayer and the ring are meant to be used for those who have attained the age of maturity, i.e. 15 years of age (Q and A 70)

The Prayer for the Dead is found at:

http://bahai-library.com/file.php5?file=uhj_prayer_dead&language=