Funerals & Rituals
Religious Rituals–Catholicism, Judaism, Islam
For many people who’ve experienced the death of a loved one, religion can help both find meaning in his or her passing as well as solace in the belief of an afterlife. Different religions have a different interpretation of what happens after death as well as different rituals that are supposed to help both the…
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Religious Rituals–Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism
The way that death is understood in Asian religions is quite different from the way Judeo-Christian culture thinks about death. This difference in perspective leads to dramatically different rituals related to death but also to a generalized difference in the way losses are mourned. There are too many differences between Asian cultures and Western cultures…
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A History of Mourning Traditions
Many people experiencing the death of a loved one for the first time find that they wish there was some framework for mourning in our society, some accepted way to communicate that you are grieving the death of a spouse, sibling, parent or even close friend. The lack of a commonly recognized way to express…
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After the Funeral: When Your Community Disappears
Immediately after a death in the family, there’s often an outpouring of support. Friends, family, neighbors and coworkers bring casseroles and offer to take out the trash. In the immediate aftermath of a death, our communities generally step up to surround us with love and take care of the mundane tasks needed to sustain our…
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What to Expect at the Funeral
If you, like many young people, haven’t been to a funeral before and certainly haven’t been to the funeral of a close family member before, the funeral can feel like a huge chore to get through, filled with potential pitfalls and likely run-ins with unwelcome family members. Or, you might envi-sion a room full of…
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Building New Holiday Traditions After a Death in the Family
The holidays are a particularly difficult time of year for most people who’ve experienced a relatively recent death in the family. It’s supposed to be a time of celebration and a time to spend with family, repeating traditions that might go back to your own childhood. But if a family member has died, you might…
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