5 Reasons Why Funeral Rituals Matter
Cremation services in Lincolnwood, IL are part of an important industry.
The funeral industry has been thriving since time immemorial, from the times when men used to live in caves to the present 21st century. Throughout the centuries, it has relied on religious and socio-cultural rituals and traditions. These rituals may have changed over time, but their primary purposes remain the same – to honor the dead and show sympathy with the bereaved.
Regardless of your faith or the cultural traditions you follow, funeral rituals hold a special status in our lives. Let us share how mourning or funeral rituals help us get through difficult times with strength and hope:
1.Hold the Community Together
Rituals are expressions of our values and beliefs that are meant to bring people together. Visiting a person who is mourning a loss of a loved one and extending both moral and sometimes, financial support develops a true sense of community spirit.
2.Help People Acknowledge the Reality
Funeral rituals are vital to helping the bereaved accept the reality of death and that the loved one has gone forever, never to come back. They give time and space to process what has just happened and how to adapt to reality – legitimizing our pain.
We realize that the only way to get past the pain and sorrow of losing them is to be positive and move on with life. Purposeful funeral ceremonies also offer a gentle understanding of the divine reality for the visitors as well. When they see the dead body lowing into the casket for one last time, they are made to think about the inevitable end of man – and to give value to our invaluable relations.
3.Honor the Deceased
Funerals hold as much symbolic value for the dead as they do for the living. They offer us a chance to give tribute to the departed soul and honor his/her contributions to the family, community, and country.
It reminds us that though the loved one has left us; their contributions and memories will always reside in our hearts and minds. During funeral rituals, we think of our relationship with the deceased, the moments we shared – both, good and bad – with them, and how they sparked a positive change in our lives. Moreover, we get to fulfill their last wishes, which give us peace of mind.
4.Expedite the Healing Process
Research shows that arranging funeral traditions accelerate the healing process for the bereaved. Meaningful traditions help us transition from “Mind Understanding” to “Heart Understanding” and we are left with no option but to embrace the pain of loss – and see through this emotional phase of life.
Funerals are perhaps the only time when our feelings of sadness and sorrow – or bouts of emotional breakdown – and condoned by society. Realizing that it’s absolutely normal to grieve or cry over the loss help our defense system to expedite the healing process.
5.Seek Emotional Support and Hope
Funeral traditions are outright expressions of your feelings and emotions that garner you emotional support and strength from the public. They are public statements asking “Come, Stand By Me” and whosoever comes to these rituals voluntarily chooses to support you, sympathize with you, and don’t let you feel alone and isolated.
You get hope and confidence by seeing your friends and family around you during the lowest phase of your life and is probably the most powerful aspect of arranging cremation services in Lincolnwood, IL,