Essay funeral customs in the united states for class 8

ESSAY
FUNERAL CUSTOMS IN THE
UNITED STATES:
America is one of the most diversified
countries in the world. It is comprised
of many different cultures from Latin
America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. It is
truly a melting pot of diversity. All these
cultures have come together to create a
new culture – an American culture. Many of
the traditions, customs, religions, and
celebrations of these cultures have been
adopted into American culture, including
funeral traditions.
Traditional American funerals are
basic. They usually include some sort
of religious ritual, followed by a
procession to the burial grounds, and a
small ceremony at the grave site, but these
vary depending on the culture. At most
American funerals, the deceased person’s
family sends out a death
announcement called an obituary. These
obits normally serve to pass information to
others about the deceased, and the time
and day of the funeral event. At the church
service, the deceased is usually eulogized
by friends and family. This is where a
person goes up to the front of the crowd to
say a few things about the deceased, and
how he or she affected their life. The
procession usually takes the form of a
caravan of private cars, and trucks that
follow the hearse, which contains the
deceased’s coffin, and remains.
At the gravesite, another small ritual takes
place where the deceased is given a
blessing from a member of the
clergy. Friends and family are then
allowed to say goodbye to the
deceased. There is an American tradition of
picking up a handful of soil, and tossing
it on the coffin as a way of saying
farewell to the deceased. The family
then gathers at a home, or restaurant with
some of the attendees to have a meal, and
to exchange stories before going on their
way. Most cultures in the U.S. have
adopted this traditional American funeral
ritual, but many include features that are
unique to their individual culture.
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