Everything You Wanted To Know About A Greek Orthodox Funeral

 

Greek orthodox church is one of the oldest churches and is followed by people from Eastern Europe, Russia and Greece, Georgia, and Cyprus. The church has a good presence in the USA and has its own tradition when it comes to weddings, baptisms, and funerals. If you are going to attend one, or if your funeral home Kendall is going to host one, here are some important facts to know about Greek Orthodox funeral traditions.

 


One of the biggest differences with other churches is the belief that soul and body are created together and so should remain whole. When a person dies, his body has to be buried and the soul meets God and waits for the second coming of Christ when the body will be resurrected and unite with the soul. This is why cremation is mostly not allowed by Greek Orthodox church followers.

 

The wake of a parishioner belonging to this church is also a little different. As per tradition, the body has to be washed by a relative and laid on a bed blessed by the priest with holy water. Then a service called Panikhida is held. The wake is generally 3 days and kept by relatives and friends who recite the Book of Psalms by the side of the body. But nowadays the washing of the dead body and preparing it for the wake is done by the funeral home attendant. The wake is also not that long but held before the funeral.

 

One of the most important aspects of a Greek Orthodox funeral is the Trisagion prayer that is held a day before the funeral and in modern times is often combined with the wake. In this service, always begin with a fixed chant repeated thrice. Then four hymns are recited which asks God to provide rest to the deceased person. The beauty of this service is that the prayer words are poetic in nature and is very comforting to hear for the grieving family members. The prayer service ends with the song “May your memory be eternal”. This service is followed by the funeral held the next day.

 

When attending a Greek Orthodox funeral, please note that they are quite longer than any other funeral that you have attended. Most last for 90 minutes and is very poetic in nature. The prayers and words used during the funeral service are very much like the Trisagion prayer held the night before. The deceased is never referred to have “died”; he is believed to be in sleep or repose. There are fixed chants and Psalms that has to be recited during the funeral in a specific order.

 

Once the funeral is over, people move from the funeral home in Kendall where the funeral was held to the graveside. Another Trisagion prayer is held there and before the coffin is lowered, the priest sprinkles soil in the shape of the cross. Each person who attended the burial places a flower on the coffin as the final respect.

 

After the burial, refreshments called “Meal of Mercy” are given either by the family members or the congregation. It can also be held in the funeral home or a restaurant.  

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