Young Writers Society

I'm writing a play set during a funeral, or a wake. I've never been to a funeral (weird, I know) so I don't really know... anything about it.

I'm not even sure what my play is set during. It's a body viewing, and I assume that is a wake? But I don't know how those are done. Are they done at churches? I'm hoping so, because in my mind the play is set in a church.

A funeral is the service in which the deceased is buried. A wake is the period of time to ~view the body. It's usually done in a funeral home, I believe, though I suppose it might be possible to do in a church? (I think that's what it was with Pope John Paul II and presidents who die, but I don't know about others) And depending on the time period, the wake might even be held in the family's home (more traditional, I believe), in these instances I think it's kind of like a vigil?

Anyway, I hope that's helpful in directing your research ^_^

A wake is actually, usually done at the home of the deceased. A traditional Irish wake is well, wikipedia says it better.

Wiki wrote: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. Also all clocks are stopped at the time the deceased passed.

Any specific questions?

Ta,
Cal.

Wake (or viewing or layout or whatever you want to call it) are not usually done anywhere particular actually, it's pretty much a 50/50 on home of the deceased and more and more funeral homes. Every wake I've ever been too (....and I've been to a lot) has been at a funeral home. Most families have so much going on that they prefer a funeral home wake over one in the home because it imposes on them and causes more stress to have a million people in their home. I have often experienced a meal or get together in the home AFTER the funeral, but not for a wake.

Or you could go all Beowulf and send off a death-ship.

I must have just gone to really traditional wakes then.

Or you could go all Beowulf and send off a death-ship.

That would be so cool! But it wouldn't fit.

Thank you everyone! I'm almost done with the play, so it will be up in a bit. Much thanks for the info.

I don't know if this might or might not help, but the "Wake" actually came from medieval times when people would come across someone passed out, drunk, in the road. They would think he was dead, and bury him. They only found out differently when (here comes the gross part) they began having to reuse graves due to lack of space, and found fingernail scratches on the inside of some of the caskets where the drunk had woken up and tried to get out.

After that, when someone found a body they presumed to be dead, they would bring him home, and wait for him to "wake." If he didn't, they thought it was safe to bury him. Okay, the next part might not be relevant, but it certainly is some interesting information: Before they put the body in the casket, they would tie a string to his wrist, and feed it up aboveground to a bell, which would ring, should he waken and move his hand. This is where the phrase "Saved by the bell" came from. There was always someone on guard at the graveyard, listening for bells, even through the night.. If one rang, he would dig it up. Thus the term, "graveyard shift."

There you go: you're day's worth of useless information.

Hmm I've actually been to a wake which happened after the funeral, and it was generally a time to sit, eat and remember the good times that were spent with the deceased. Obviously, the body wasn't there (having been buried or cremated, I can't remember)
Also, it was held at a beach, around 5pm. They had a barbecue and played cricket. It was more of a family gathering, for support really.

If you're still in need of some help, here's my input.

I've never been to a "wake". From what I know, a wake is a viewing of the deceased in the family's home.

I have been to several "visitations", which have always taken place in a funeral home. I'm not sure if they are the same thing, only with a different regional name or what...

Anyway, at a visitation, everyone is dressed up, obviously. Funeral homes are typically nice places, with floral prints, crown molding, and polished wood tables with tissues and candies on them. There's lots of chairs spread out in front of the casket, which is normally open, depending on the condition of the body. All around the casket will be flowers. Flowers from friends, flowers from employer's, flowers from everyone. Lots of flowers. There is a kneeler in front of the casker, where people can kneel and pray/ say goodbye to the dead.

Music. Sometimes there is soft, instrumental, almost elevator music playing.

Funeral home owners and employees are very nice cordial people. All the ones I have seen were men dressed in sharp, black suits. And of course, extended family, estranged relatives, and friends who have never met the family are there. This can lead to some awkward conversations/meetings, but the mood is pretty relaxed. Aside from the stressed out spouse/child, everyone talks and remembers the dead. Visitations aren't really the place of mourning.

That comes at the funeral. I've been to several Catholic funerals. They took place in a church. The casket is carried up the church steps, and then it's wheeled in by the casket bearers and placed in front of the altar, below the dais. All of this is done to a funeral hymn.

This is when people cry. There are typically two readings from the Bible, and then a Reading from the Gospel, followed by a homily by the priest. He may devout a small bit of breath to the reading's meaning, but he normally focuses on the deceased and in comforting the family.

There are some blessings, including a very important one. The priest will bless the casket with holy water, pray over it, and then will help the spouse/child/whoever spread a white cloth over the casket as a sign of purity and hope.

Sometimes there's a eulogy; it depends on the family. There's some more songs, and then everyone leaves to go in a procession to the cemetery. There, we have more prayers, blessings, and the casket is lowered into the ground. Finally, everyone goes to lunch.

Those are some of the keys points. I think it should help.

EsqualEtMoi wrote:Hmm I've actually been to a wake which happened after the funeral, and it was generally a time to sit, eat and remember the good times that were spent with the deceased. Obviously, the body wasn't there (having been buried or cremated, I can't remember)
Also, it was held at a beach, around 5pm. They had a barbecue and played cricket. It was more of a family gathering, for support really.

I second this. It's what we call a wake down here in NSW.