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The Orthodox Funeral Service Traditions

Ethnic traditions in funeral service - East European family-Orthodox should be observed. This religion is an off shoot of Catholicism and retains some of the similarities. The funeral rights are also very similar to those of the Catholic faith.
by TomTree


Ethnic traditions in funeral service - East European family-Orthodox should be observed. This religion is an off shoot of Catholicism and retains some of the similarities. The funeral rights are also very similar to those of the Catholic faith.

In eastern European families cremation is a big no. They believe that they should be returned to the earth. Bodies are dealt with by being put into a coffin and then buried into the earth. This is normally accompanied by a grave side service and mourners throwing some dirt on the coffin once it is in the grave.

They do however take organ donation very very seriously. They normally have someone witness the organ donor card signing. They believe that it is giving back to donate organs and help others even in death. This is taken from a section of the bible that states that people should give to others when ever that they can.

Several prayers are said over the dying and the dead in this religion. These prayers are to get the soul to depart the body to continue its journey. These are ordinarily accompanied by a vigil and a viewing. They prepare for death when someone is terminally ill rather than waiting until after they are gone.

A funeral is held as is a wake. They have the funeral at a church, the wake at the home, and a small service that is graveside. Normally crosses, flowers and other gifts are given to the deceased's family members. Not giving a gift at this time is considered extremely rude and gifts of white flowers are especially good.

Most people of the Eastern Orthodox religion will be happy to help you if you are planning a funeral. There are very few true differences between Catholics and the Eastern European version of this religion. The differences are important to pay attention to when planning an event like this.

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