A wake is a ceremony associated with death. Part of the ceremony of the Changing of the Guard in Whitehall, London. ...

Traditionally, a wake takes place in the house of the deceased, with the body present; however, modern wakes are often performed at a funeral home. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The tradition stems historically from an ancient tradition of watching over the deceased's body in the hope that life might return and the term in many places is now synonymous with viewing or funeral visitation. The purpose of the wake has evolved so that now it is a time for the deceased's friends and loved ones to gather and to console the immediate family prior to the funeral. In Australia, New Zealand, and northern England, the wake commonly happens after the funeral service in the absence of the body and is often "wet" -- which is to say alcohol and food are served and, as a result, the wake often resembles a party for the deceased as well as being of comfort for their family. In this way it follows the model of the traditional Irish wake, although there is a long tradition of feasting and celebration connected with funeral service amongst the Māori of New Zealand that predates European settlement. Viewing (museum display) Museum of Funeral Customs In funeral services, a viewing (sometimes called reviewal, funeral visitation or a wake in the United States and Canada) is the time that the family and friends come to see the deceased after they have been prepared by a funeral home. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto)1 Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total... Languages Māori, English Religions Māori religion, Christianity Related ethnic groups other Polynesian peoples, Austronesian peoples The word Māori refers to the indigenous Polynesian peoples of New Zealand, and to their language. ...

Irish wakes

The Irish Wake (Irish: Caoineadh) is a traditional mourning custom formerly practiced in Ireland. An integral part of the grieving process for family, friends, and neighbors of the deceased, Irish wakes are occasions that mix gaiety and sadness. The custom is a celebration of the life that had passed, but the tone of the wake depended largely on the circumstances of the death.

A wake usually began at the time of death and lasted until the family left with the body for the funeral service. If a death occurred in the evening, the wake was not held until the following night to allow mourners to travel and prepare for the services.

Preparations for the wake begin soon after death. A window may be opened so that the spirit of the deceased may leave the room. It is considered bad luck to walk or stand between the deceased and the window, as this is thought to interrupt the progress of the soul out the window. After two hours, the window is then closed to prevent the soul from returning to the body. All clocks in the house are stopped as a sign of respect, and women gather to bathe and dress the body. The deceased often is dressed in white and if male, the face is shaved before the body is dressed. The body is then laid out for viewing on a table or bed and is attended until the burial. All mirrors in the household are covered, removed, or turned around. It has been suggested that window frames be merged into this article or section. ... This article is about good and bad fortune. ... Progress can refer to: The idea of a process in which societies or individuals become better or more modern (technologically and/or socially). ... The soul, according to many religious and philosophical traditions, is the self-aware essence unique to a particular living being. ... The massive clock on the Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster, London (commonly known as Big Ben, although Big Ben is the bell inside - the picture is St Stephens Tower). ...

Immediately after they prepare the body, the women begin keening. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. ...

Further information: Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire

This vocal lamentation is a display of mourning and sounds a bit like wailing to those who are not accustomed to it. Superstition holds that keening must not begin until after the body is prepared or evil spirits will surround the wake and body. Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire or the Lament for Art Ó Laoghaire is an Irish keen, or dirge written by his wife Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill. ...

Devout Irish Catholics integrated many religious traditions into the wake. A rosary is placed in the hands of the deceased, and each mourner kneels beside the body and says a prayer. The entire rosary is said at least once during the wake, commonly at midnight. The prayers are usually led by a leader in the community and the entire group of mourners supply the responses. Irish Catholics are persons of predominantly Irish descent who adhere to the Roman Catholic faith. ... Our Lady of Lourdes - Mary appearing at Lourdes with Rosary beads. ...

The Irish also celebrated the life of the deceased and shared food and drink throughout the wake. Music, dancing, and physical games made the wake feel more like a party. The Catholic church has tried numerous times (unsuccessfully) throughout history to abolish the consumption of alcohol at wakes. Though it is a time of sadness, the presence of friends and family makes it more bearable and there is generally great joviality as the deceased is fondly remembered; indeed, there is tradition in some parts of the country to play a game of cards and include a hand for the deceased.

Friends stay with the corpse throughout the night. A rosary is said during the day and a Mass may also be said in the house. Typically, the wake lasts until the next afternoon, though occasionally it may last a second night, especially circumstances caused the wake to begin late in the evening. Our Lady of Lourdes - Mary appearing at Lourdes with Rosary beads. ... A Medieval Low Mass by a bishop. ...

The afternoon after the wake, the undertaker will place the corpse in a coffin or casket and take it to the funeral home. As this represents the deceased leaving home for the last time; it is often one of the saddest moments. A removal will take place when people who may not have been to the house will attend and commiserate before the casket is closed for the last time. The body rests overnight in a church before burial after a Mass the following day. An open casket A coffin (in North American English, also known as a casket, although the design is different - coffins taper towards the feet while caskets remain the same width) is a funerary box used in the display and containment of deceased remains -- either for burial or cremation. ...

Though many of these customs have faded away in modern Ireland, some are still practiced, particularly the laying out of the body in the house before burial. This is rare, however, in the main cities and towns and a declining practice in many rural areas. Generally, the wake is seen as the celebratory gathering after the funeral ceremony, where people might share stories of the deceased over food and drink, but most importantly, to give the people a day to remember the person and to show their love of them. The traditional wake is strongest in the northern part of Ireland.

The Irish wake, in the sense of celebrating at a death, originated with the ancient Celts. In their belief system, once someone died in this world they moved on to the afterlife, which was a better world, and thus cause for celebration.

American Wakes

Similar parties were thrown in Ireland when a loved one left the country. These became known as "American wakes" or "emigrant wakes" in the mid-19th century as Irish immigration to the United States increased. Many emigrants would never see their Irish neighbors and friends again, and a send-off party was thrown that included the same mix of gaiety and sadness found in an Irish wake.

Icelandic Wakes

In Iceland the wake ceremony is called kistulagning. It is a small funeral service held for the closest family members and friends. It takes up to 30 minutes and is usually held in a small funeral chapel which is called a kapella. Icelandic funerals. ...

Though Nordic in most terms of culture, the Icelandic wake is similar to the Viking tradition in name only. Most Nordic deceased were sent to sea on small boats, while the wealthier men were buried inside their treasured warships. Instead of watching them drift out to sea, the Vikings would typically hold a day of observation at the gravesite while telling stories of the deceased. This tradition would commonly be referred to as the observation of the proverbial "wake" left behind by the dead and most likely is the namesake for most Western wakes, which were typically called "waking."

Eastern Christian

In the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches, when one of the faithful dies, there are special Prayers at the Departure of the Soul that are said by the priest. After this, the body is washed by family members or friends (Acts 9:37), clothed in new garments (I_Corinthians 15:53), and placed in the coffin. An icon or cross, and perhaps the deceased's prayer rope are placed in their hands. A linen band, called a phylactery, having on it an icon of Christ, the Theotokos (Mother of God), and St. John the Baptist, and the words of the Trisagion, is placed on their forehead, to symbolize the crown of victory. Candles may be placed around the coffin (often four, to form a cross, with candles at the head, foot, and each side). Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      The Eastern Orthodox Church... The Eastern Catholic Churches are autonomous particular Churches in full communion with the Pope of Rome. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Look up icon in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... -1... Phylactery can mean: The Greek term for a Judaic tefillin, leather boxes worn on the arm and head, and which contain scrolls enscribed with specific Biblical verses. ... Theotokos of Kazan Theotokos (Greek: , translit. ... For the hip-hop producer with the same name, see John the Baptist (producer). ... The Trisagion (thrice Holy) is a standard hymn of the Orthodox Christian Divine Liturgy, chanted immediately before the Prokeimenon and the Epistle Reading. ...

After all is ready, the priest serves the "First Panikhida (memorial service). Following the Panikhida, family and friends take turns reading the Psalms next to the body. This vigil continues until the time of the funeral itself (traditionally on the third day of death). Since the purpose of the wake is both to pray for the departed and to comfort the living, the psalms are interrupted after each kathisma (division of the Psalter) for a brief service, called the Litya, which is an abbreviated form of the Panikhida. A memorial service (Greek: μνημόσυνο, mnemósyno, memorial, or παραστάς, parastás, wake; Church Slavonic: панахіда, panahída, панихїда, panikhída) is a liturgical observance in honor of the departed which is served in the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches. ... Psalms (from the Greek: Psalmoi (songs sung to a harp, originally from psallein play on a stringed instrument), Ψαλμοί; Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים) is a book of the Hebrew Bible, Tanakh or Old Testament. ... A Kathisma (Greek: καθισμα; Slavonic: каѳисма, kafisma), literally, seat, is a division of the Psalter, used by Eastern Orthodox Christians and Eastern Catholics who follow the Byzantine Rite. ...

If the family is using a traditional coffin, with a detachable lid, the lid is stood upright outside the main door of the house as a sign that the household is in mourning, and encouraging all to come and pray for the deceased. Originally, the wake was in the home, and the body was not moved to the church until it was actually time for the funeral, at which time the priest and faithful would all gather at the home and begin the funeral service as the remains were carried in procession to the church. It has been suggested that Krestny khod be merged into this article or section. ...

When a monk or nun dies, their body is washed and clothed by one of the brethren, and they are vested in their monastic habit. The mantle is cut so that it forms a cross, and the remains are bound up in it. The klobuk is placed over the head backwards, so the veil covers the face. An icon, the cross they received at their tonsure, and their prayer rope are placed in their hands. The candle they were given at their tonsure should be one of those burning around the coffin. If the departed was a simple monk or nun, the Psalter is read over him. If he was a hieromonk (a monk who has been ordained a priest), he is vested in his priestly vestments (epitrachelion [stole] and cuffs only), and the Gospel is read over him. St. ... For other uses, see Nun (disambiguation). ... St. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require restructuring. ... Eastern Orthodox Monks wearing klobuks. ... Tonsure is the practice of some Christian churches of cutting the hair from the scalp of clerics as a symbol of their renunciation of worldly fashion and esteem. ... A hieromonk in Eastern Orthodoxy is a monk and the priest at the same time. ... epitrachelion The Epitrachelion (from the Greek, επιτραχηλιον around the neck; often called simply a stole in casual English-language usage) is the liturgical vestment worn by priests and bishops of the Orthodox Church as the symbol of their priesthood, corresponding to the Western stole. ... Epimanikia (singular epimanikion) are liturgical vestments of the Eastern Orthodox Church. ...

If the departed was a deacon he is vested in his diaconal vestments and a censer is placed in his hands. The Psalter is read over him. Deacon is a role in the Christian Church which is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. ... Stained glass window depiction of a thurible, St. ...

When a bishop or priest dies, his body is washed and clothed in all his vestments by the clergy, who then take turns reading the Gospel beside the coffin. An Aër (veil used in the Divine Liturgy) is placed over the face of a departed bishop or priest, a blessing cross is placed in his hands, and a Gospel Book laid in the coffin with him. Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      This article is about... For other uses, see Gospel (disambiguation). ... Aër covering a Chalice and Diskos on the Prothesis. ... The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. ... A Gospel Book is a codex or bound volume, containing one or more of the four Gospels of the Christian New Testament. ...

See also

• Nine nights
• jazz funeral

There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Jazz funeral is a unique American funeral tradition which occurs in New Orleans. ...

External links

• History of Funeral Customs
• A first hand account of a modern Irish Wake