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 honour. Customs vary between cultures and religious groups. Funerals have both normative and legal components. 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.
Opening of the mouth ceremony (Ancient Egypt)
Kotsuage bone picking ceremony (Japanese Buddhist)
Funeral of Pope John Paul II (Catholic Church)
Cremations at Manikarnika Ghat (Hindu)
A ceremony is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion.
Ceremonial at court during Prinsjesdag
Leaders welcome a boy into Scouting, March 2010, Mexico City, Mexico.
Senator Lionel Murphy, founder of the civil celebrant movement in Australia, which has now spread to the rest of the Western World
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz salutes Yom Kippur War casualties at an official annual memorial service.
