900129666
Dr. Cowser
English 102
Essay 1
2/18/2017
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die…” (KJV, Ecclesiastes 3:2)
This knowledge of death is common among many, including both Jewish and Modern Americans. However, even though this idea of inevitable death is noted in both Jewish texts and the Bible, the burial practices are not so similar. Early Jew and Modern American customs differ in terms of preparation of the body, funeral services and burial. Showing respect for the deceased is common among both cultures, however the way respect is shown is key to understanding their customs. Once death is pronounced, many Modern Americans begin preparing for the funeral. A blog on decorativeurns.com states that the actual funeral can take place between three to seven days after death (“When to Schedule”). Jewish traditions differ from Modern Americans at this point. Maurice
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The reason for this is because it is considered disrespectful to have the body of the deceased up for display to be viewed therefore the casket is shut and not reopened immediately following tahara. Americans, however, see a wake as an opportunity to say the last goodbyes (“Jewish Mourning”). During wakes in America there are flowers around and sometimes on top of the casket. It is mostly for decoration. In contrast, Jewish customs shun the use of flowers during the process of burial. This is because flowers are considered to symbolize life and during a funeral it’s about death (“Jewish Mourning”). During a Modern American wake, family members normally come together to pay respects to the deceased and send condolences to the bereaved. A day or two after the wake the funeral is scheduled. Another comparison in funeral customs between Modern Americans and Jews are how they carry out the
A Jewish burial service is recognized by its straightforwardness, modesty, and seriousness. Its general arrangement has not changed for more than four thousand years. It is typically held inside of 24 hours of passing, however no later than three days. The mitzva of going with the dead to the last resting spot is so extraordinary it supersedes all other mitzvot, including Torah study. Be that as it may, before the memorial service can happen, the body of the perished must be arranged for internment as per Jewish convention. A Jewish memorial service is recognized by its straightforwardness, quietude, and seriousness. Its general arrangement has not changed for more than four thousand years. It is typically held inside of 24 hours of passing,
Mankind’s history of burial practices and funeral customs are as old as civilization itself. There is no specific way to planning a funeral. Every civilization and culture has provided for their dead in different ways. Religion and personal beliefs play an important role in the burial practices and funeral customs of a given culture or civilization. Furthermore, each civilization and cultured ever studied have three things in common: some type of funeral rites, rituals, and ceremonies; A sacred place for the dead; and memorialization of the dead. As far back as the time of Christ, burials have been noted to take place. In time burial and funeral customs have become very distinct, interesting and
Dr. Spencer: oh no Brian it most certainly isn't firstly there's a three-day feast on the first day people purify the corpse with holy water on the second day people make offerings to the corpse and third day is purely to burn the corpse after the corpse has been burned it is placed on top of a bamboo structure inside of a building called a bade the bade is a massive symbol to the culture the bigger the bade the more prestigious the family only one person ever has had an 11-story bade
Across countries and continents, through the rise and fall of great empires, and in multiple civilizations and religions, the Jewish people have been exiled martyrs for reasons far beyond their fault or doing. The Jewish people have come to accept this mutual exile as a part of their faith and religion. They are the people of exile until the messiah comes and the Jews will come together and live in the promised holy land. Since every Jew is an exile to the rest of society, this brings them closer together and creates a bond among the communities that keeps them strong and has kept the religion alive through most every situation. A new situation, however, is questioning the strength of the Jewish religion and its ability to remain as its defined people of exile. The Christian world has begun to push back their biased and hateful opinions on the Jews and recognize them as people. England, along with other governments, will contemplate whether the Jews could be citizens and if that would benefit them or not. It is not as much so for how the Jews have and will affect England at the time, but what
At some point in our lives, we all come to realize that death is a part of life. Cultural diversity provides a wide variety of lifestyles and traditions for each of the unique groups of people in our world. Within these different cultures, the rituals associated with death and burial can also be uniquely diverse. Many consider ritualistic traditions that differ from their own to be somewhat strange and often perceive them as unnatural. A prime example would be the burial rituals of the Native American people.
Over the past few years, there have been multiple cases involving what some claim to be police brutality. The past couple of years have had incidents reminiscent of the sixties. Racial tensions have risen and numerous ongoing riots have broken out. There has been fires and lootings and such due to these riots. The question is, is America going back in time? In December of 2014, a monthly magazine called “The Progressive” republished an article written by James Baldwin addressed to his nephew. This article had been written in 1962 during the civil rights movement. The words, the message, James Baldwin conveys in it apply just as much to America today as it did then. Concluding that America is repeating itself, especially when regarding the relationship between the police and people of color.
The two cultures that I decided to compare and contrast is the Mexican culture and ancient Egyptians. Mexicans have embraced death as a part of life. The Mayan and Aztecs practiced human sacrifices which gave and example of acceptance of death. In Mexico when a loved one passed on to a better life the viewing traditional takes place at the family’s home. A catholic priest comes to the family’s home and leads a mass in honor of the recently departed. The coffin in placed on a table along with candles on the side. After the funeral the family members get together and pray for nine days to guide the deceased into haven and ask forgiveness for their sins.On the other hand Egyptians were buried in pyramids directly in the ground. Often bodies were
Every culture, country, religion, and community has certain behavior and rituals that govern their actions when a loved one dies. These traditions and death rituals are based upon religious and spiritual beliefs. Belief on whether there is life after death and what happens to the body and soul after death.
The temples, pyramids, tombs, and religious artifacts left behind all tell us that the Ancient Egyptians believed in the resurrection of the dead. Their belief in immortality was the fundamental driving force behind their religion. “The formulae which were declared to have been recited during the performance of ceremonies were written down and copied for scores of generations, and every pious, well-to-do Egyptian made arrangements that what had been done and said on behalf of Osiris should be done and said for him outside and inside his tomb after his death.” (Liturgy of Funeral Offerings, pg.2) This illustrates just how important the ceremony and the process was to the Egyptians. Their belief in the afterlife and the importance of the ceremonial steps taken to get them there caused them great concern with their own funerals. Today, everyone has an idea of what they would like to do for their own funeral as well. We may follow in the same patterns as our family heritage has done for generations with either a traditional funeral or cremation, or we may have a newer alternative in mind for our self. Even though we may not be preparing for an afterlife, we still have an
Death in different cultures Death is often times very different if you compare separate cultures. The Mexicans and Asians both have different ways of celebrating and mourning death. Asian’s views on death are more similar to the U.S because they mourn the dead, but instead of crying and going over memories, they chant and have rituals to help guide the people into their new life. Mexicans have a different way of dealing with death than Americans. Instead of mourning, they celebrate death with big family parties and they even have a holiday that use to visit their family and friends that are deceased.
Customarily, funerals were held in a congregation and were gone to by whole groups and expansive more distant families. The congregation priest, minister, rabbi or minister would lead the administration. Today, there are still numerous funerals that tail this more conventional method for saying farewell.
In the funeral world there are a lot of different styles of funerals. For example, Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic funerals. Both very different, but at the same time they have several things in common. In funerals there is an abundance of things to compare and contrast. We will be looking at different ways the notification of death is handled in both of these religions, removal, embalming, dressing/casketing, visitation requirements/rituals, and interment or cremation.
“When I was a little girl my family moved to Tallahassee, Florida. We were the only Jewish family in the neighborhood. So as most kids do when they move to a new neighborhood, they tend to try and make new friends. I remember going over to one of my new friend’s house and her mother felt my scalp for horns” Julianne Jacques MCC-Penn Valley Counselor. Jewish Americans learn from a young age about the importance of knowing their history. Knowing the history is for the sake of the future of their past. Jewish Americans represent a group of people rather than a race or ethnicity, with strong family values and beliefs. They are simply claiming five thousand years of their history.
The services given to the dead in the Muslim culture are unique. There is no wake or viewing of the body in the Islamic tradition. The funeral service is actually a prayer service offered to present petitions to God asking for the forgiveness of the sins of the deceased. Even Muslims who are not close with the deceased or the family can participate in this ritual. Wailing loudly or screaming is forbidden for it is considered undignified (“Islam: Periods of Mourning,” 2017).
The culture of Israel is centered around many Jewish traditions, most notably including holidays. Though other religions still may celebrate their respective holidays, public holidays in Israel include notable Jewish holidays such as Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Chanukah, Purim, Passover, and more. In addition, Shabbat is celebrated appropriately every week (particularly in Jerusalem) with every shop closing its doors and streets bare of cars. The country provides a unique experience for Jews, with over 46 synagogues throughout Israel.