American funerals, how are they held, when, etc.?

Traditional funerals in the U.S. take a religious form and are usually held in churches. Before the funeral, the casket should be placed in the church by friends and relatives to take turns in the wake. According to scholars to analyze, the custom of the wake is caused by the ancient psychological reasons: First, the relatives of the deceased always hold the illusion that the deceased will reawaken; Second, they have been in the life of the deceased to do their best to take care of, although this care is now no longer needed, but they still can not easily give up their responsibilities. Over time, the wake became a customary way of honoring the dead.

2. Cemetery style

In the cemetery, people will find an interesting phenomenon, that is, the cemetery's east, south and west sides of the densely lined with tombstones. On the other hand, there are very few tombstones on the north side. The reason for this is that the north side is usually where prisoners, murderers or suicides are buried. It is claimed that the north side of the altar in Christian churches is where the gospel is read, and the main theme of the gospel is for sinners to repent, so it is further assumed that the north side is for sinners who need to be saved. The cemetery is filled with lush trees. The most common are the water pines, one branching out. The wattles were evergreen and stood up next to the tombstones. Long ago, trees were once objects of worship. The ancients believed that life was inseparable from movement. Babbling brooks, the sound of the wind... Green trees are symbols of life. The weeping willow in particular was often planted in cemeteries, due to the fact that its branches dragged; as if immersed in sorrow.

3. Burial

The United States burial of the dead have certain rules. The traditional custom is to put a cross on the chest of the deceased, or his hands crossed in front of his head, and then buried in the east, that is, the feet in the east; head in the west. This is said to be a reflection of early "sun worship". The way of burying the young dead is different from the way of burying the adult dead. In ancient Rome, people buried children who died young under the eaves of their own homes, believing that this would bring peace to the child's soul. In modern times there are still people who follow the traditional idea of burying the body of a dead toddler or an unbaptized child in the coffin of some adult woman. American Jews also have a custom of burying the dead with his face toward Israel, and then opening the grave for reburial the following year. The Indian method of burying the dead is quite distinctive. The common people were simply buried after death, but tribal chiefs were honored after death. They put the body of the chief in a temple. The form of this temple is very special, the lower part of the thick wooden stakes held high. Windy on all sides, no walls, the floor spread a few animal skins, for the temple priests to rest. It was the upper floor that was used to house the remains. All the dead chiefs were placed in the same temple, one eyre at a time. The temple was open on one side only, and three sides and the roof of the house were tightly covered with exquisitely woven bamboo curtains. Next to the body is also placed a vividly carved puppet, as the chief's guard. The Indians also invented ingenious ways of keeping the remains from decaying. They will be peeled off the skin of the dead, oiled and dried. Then scrape the meat, the bones wrapped in leather, and then finally wrapped in the original skin, after such a process of the remains, looks good as new.