In times such as losing a relative, it is quite significant in the process of grief to come together as a family with friends and the community. One way people honor the deceased is through a wake, a social gathering that allows family members, friends, and close acquaintances to share memories, offer support, and celebrate the deceased’s life. What is a wake? However, how approximately a wake is distinguished from a funeral service or a viewing? Here one can find the wake meaning as well as its funeral traditions and also, its purpose in the context of this suffering period. For more information on funerals and their historical significance, including various customs associated with honoring the deceased, check out the Wikipedia entry on funerals.
What is a wake at a funeral
A wake is usually defined as an event when loved ones of the deceased gather together, quite informally priorities during this gathering is the person who has passed away. Usually the wake is held before the burial. Quite often people will use the word party instead of the word wake. Traditionally, wakes are held in family homes where friends and family members would bid over the dead body. This vigil allowed mourners to pay respects, offer condolences, and find comfort in each other’s presence.
Wake funeral meaning
Most of the time, the decorum of venerations consists of funeral parlors or any other structure where people can reminisce and console each other. Wakes can be grand or sombre depending on the deceased and the family, hence a number of different practices exist in relation to it across cultures.
Wake vs. Viewing and Funeral Service: Differentiation
There are slight variations in the usage of these three words, but significance exists and it helps families in remembering their loved ones the best way possible.
Wake
Whenever someone dies, it is an unfortunate event that requires other people to come together and celebrate the life of the deceased through storytelling sessions. This is an informal celebration, also known as a wake. These gatherings too have an array of moods attached to them; some focus more on sorrow while others are joyous and focus on sharing great memories.
Viewing
Most often a wake is followed by a funeral, wherein only close family members are invited. The deceased body is displayed in a casket during the services; this event is called a viewing. It often takes place at the gathering. This is one of the final steps and an important one too; it allows several individuals to pay their last respects to the lost one.
Funeral
A funeral has more of a structured approach, including, for example, prayer, eulogies, and other rituals as well as some customary practices. Therefore, it is also described as a burial service. It is performed under the guidance of a church member or a death care professional in the presence of the deceased’s family or friends at the church, funeral home, or grave. Funerals are the last farewell to the deceased person and normally are witnessed by relatives, colleagues, or acquaintances of the deceased person.
Cultural and Historical Importance of Wakes
The English word “wake” comes from the Old English word “wacu,” which is a verb meaning “to be strong.” This practice is very old, being shot as a norm in the past when people wanted to ensure a body has been completely transferred from the physical realm to the otherworldly one. It used to be thought that a wake helped to ward off dark forces, and in that sense, a spiritual watch was combined with the physical one.
At the present time, wakes mark the coming together of friends and family of the deceased to pay tribute. Today’s wakes are not meant to ensure vigilance, but they still have the purpose of celebrating life through stories and support from family and friends. All cultures have a variety of wakes—Irish wakes are popular for the loudest when people tell stories and sing songs, and toast the deceased with vows. Curious about other unique traditions? Explore the meaning behind the phrase ‘The Moon is Beautiful, Isn’t It’ and its cultural significance in expressing deep emotions, similar to how wakes honor loved ones.
What to Know Before Attending a Wake
Have you recently lost someone and are either going to or hosting a wake? If the answer to that question means this will be your first one, below is the general process you can expect: If you’re looking for ideas to create memorable moments with loved ones, consider some at-home date night ideas that foster togetherness, much like how wakes bring people closer.
Moments and Surroundings
As it is common, the rest of the attendant’s family or the deceased’s family usually holds the wake at a funeral home or at theirs. Regarding the surroundings, it can range from an ambience that is more serious and low key to a more entertaining and joyous one, depending on the family.
Open Casket
While not always the case, some wakes do provide the option of an open casket where guests can view and pay respect to the deceased. Other wakes, however, may include some items from the deceased’s life or even pictures that carry a significant meaning in their existence.
Encouragement and Kindness
For the most part, wakes are a fundamental aspect of mourning since it acts as a bridge for friends and family to come together and pay respects, as well as provide comfort to one another. Such a setting promotes unity and mutual grief.
Wake as a Part of Mourning’s Journey
The use of mourning together with other people and not feeling alone is a good reason why a wake is useful, as it helps mold a gentle space where people can collectively remember their beloved. Such gatherings are important aspects of moving on and coping with the lost one, as it enables sharing of teeth and older friends, laughter, and all happy moments spent with the lost one. Dispersing one’s sorrowful feelings rather than bottling them up in one single chamber is the belly button of all gatherings.
The Importance of Planning for a Wake
In the course of planning a wake, many things need to be considered right from the choice of the venue up to the wanted demeanor. Things that may need to be done are some of the following: To understand other symbolic meanings people embrace, learn about the meaning behind a semicolon tattoo, which represents resilience and remembrance, often found in memorial contexts like wakes.
Select a Location
In the older days, many people would hold their wakes at their residence, but that is no longer the case and even in today’s time one would visit a funeral parlor or a community hall. Therefore, pick a place where the guests will be at ease and one which holds value for the family.
Select the Desired Tone
There are different families who have different perspectives regarding time spent during the wake, as some would prefer a very calm and peaceful atmosphere whereas some would prefer a more lively tone while others will go for a more canceling form tone. Therefore, it is preferable to select what makes the deceased the best.
Invite Family and Friends
In general, wakes may be attended by all who were well acquainted with the deceased, but you do have some families who prefer a more private wake. To invite relatives and inform them about the arrangements, ads on social platforms or funeral pages are helpful.
Personalize the Tribute
Further to the above mentioned, one can make the memorial from pictures, create a memorial board, or even a slideshow. All these provisions will help to enhance the wake, and those who are paying their tribute can be able to do that warmly.
Differences and Customs
The process and activities vary or tend to differ within people of different origins and of different beliefs. For each process that they use in mourning, there is a distinctive aspect which is practiced set apart by tradition: In a modern wake, relaxation is key, much like embracing core sleep principles to help with recovery and balance, which can also offer comfort during the mourning period.
Catholic Wakes
Roman of which prayers or a rosary and prayers will take place followed with a priest or a clergy member giving their permission.
Irish Wakes
They are great parties that include giving life stories, singing, and raising glasses in memory of the departed.
Modern Secular Wakes
There are some families who wish to have a simpler or a non-conventional wake, where they rather hold more of a ‘life celebration’, which certainly incorporates music as well as joyful, shareable accounts of the life led by the departed.
These cultures make sure that every wake is custom-made in a way that is soothing for the bereaved.
Significance of a Wake in Mourning Process
A wake provides a very important forum for the neighbors to support the bereaved. Attending a wake enables the mourners to witness that they are not the only ones sharing the grief. Wakes can be held either at a funeral home, family house, or a community center, and due to this arrangement, people are able to share, even if minimally, hugs, words of comfort, and sad stories of the deceased. A wake is not just a prayer vigil but also an effective element in the sad reality of family, life, and death: it helps people to say goodbye and to feel less lonely. For inspiration in celebrating life and finding peace, read our article on Sunday blessings for positivity that can uplift spirits, similar to the purpose of sharing memories during a wake.
Conclusion
A wake isn’t simply a gathering; it has a deeper significance since it provides a way for family, friends, and community members to join together in remembering the individual who has passed away. What is a wake? A wake is a ceremony by which the deceased person is honored. It has a role in the mourning customs and helps in designing tributes which are satisfying and joyous. Regardless of being said solemnly or being said joyfully, a wake adds to the memory of the departed and the sense of loss. For more great articles like this do checkout our homepage.