How Long After a Death Should the Funeral Take Place?
We live in a world with many different religions, cultures and practices. These impact the way life pans out, even in death. Even when someone has been sick for a long time, their death comes as a shock. And then it is the funeral. Then the question pops up. What will happen to his or her estate after death?
Sooner or Later?
Many people would like the funeral to be the very next day so that they can get finality. In Islam, they bury the dead within 24 hours. A director of the Mid-America Muslim Cemetery says that this is a cultural practice. To mainly respect the body and to also avoid decay. The traditional Jewish custom is to bury the deceased within 24 hours or if that isn’t possible, within 48 hours. This is also because many cultures don’t believe in embalming. This means if they can’t bury the body within 48 hours, they have to refrigerate or embalm it. Embalming doesn’t stop the decomposition process – it slows it down. Continue to read on what with your estate after death.
Sunday’s a Day of Rest – After death
It depends on the country that you live in, but it seems that Sunday funeral services are catching on. So traditionally where you wait for the weekend to pass, people seem to now perform burials on Sundays. Places such as Illinois and Chicago in the USA conduct burials on a Sunday now, but they charge far more than what they would charge on weekdays.
The Quicker, the Better? – After death
Waiting for 3 or 4 days for the funeral to take place can be unbearable. Requirements for Protestant Christian burials aren’t set in stone – people tailor funerals to their liking, so while there is no required time frame, most funerals take place within 3 or 4days. For some people, these days just serve to prolong the agony of waiting for the burial so that life can continue. In the Catholic tradition, they bury the dead as soon as possible. In the Hindu faith, there is no burial; they just burn they bodies.
Some people, on the other hand, want to visit the deceased at the mortuary, they want time to process things and value a few days before the funeral. There are certain things you have to do quickly after someone’s death. The next of kin needs to make an appointment with the appropriate person to collect the medical- or death certificate with the cause of death written on it.
You have to register the death first – After death
It is a legal requirement to register all deaths within a few days – sometimes its 5, sometimes its 8 – depending on the country you live in. Sometimes special situations, such as a post mortem, that cold delay the funeral.
In some traditions, burial is prompt while in others, a few days is allowed for family and friends to make plans. This is when refrigeration and embalming allow for days to elapse while plans are sorted. The usual funeral and burial can take place within a week.
What’s Ideal for You?
What’s your idea of the perfect time to bury or cremate the dead? Funeral directors do what they can to please, so find out what your specific funeral home says about the time between death and burial.
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All info was correct at time of publishing