Deaths in different cultures
I had never really thought about the various ways that different people bury their beloved; it had just never occured to me that maybe one culture preferred cremation, one doesn’t want to be embalmed, etc. But because of my work this semester, I’ve learned a decent amount about different death cultures.
A few times a week I would send mortician Tyrone Muhammad a message to see if he had any body that he was working on so that I oulld watch an embalming. At least once a week, the answer was “Yes, but he’s a Muslim.” At first, I didn’t understand what that meant, but apparently Muslims do not get embalmed. They are strictly against any type of mutilation of the body, even after death, and even Mr. Muhammad, himself a Muslim, hopes not to be embalmed.
Muslims then also do not have wakes and are oftentimes buried within 24 hours of their death.
For more on the way that Muslims are buried, see : http://www.isna.net/services/casc/guide.html
Christians, conversely, are usually embalmed and there is almost always a wake held for the person for a few days. As a Catholic, I’ve noticed that we pay a lot of attention to the readings at the ceremony, which are picked out usually by a family member, and also provide a way for the family to be involved in the funeral and pay their respects. There are also committees at several Christian churches for families who are grieving, where people from the community help others get over their grief.
For more on Christian funerals, see: http://www.lectionarystudies.com/funerals.html
And conversely to the Christians, Jewish funerals seem to a bit more brief because their beliefs are guided more by simplicity. There is a kadish where people get together, eat and talk about the deceased and there are often prayers offered up for the person who died and a specific period of mourning.
For more on Jewish funerals, see: http://www.uscj.org/Guide_to_Jewish_Fune6211.html
I really enjoyed reading your magazine piece. Your first draft was so well written, you should be very proud! You selected a very interesting topic that I don’t feel as though many people have explored. Thanks for bringing a piece of it to class every Friday! See you tomorrow:)