By using Robert Hertz’s theory on death rituals, this assignment will describe and analyze the ways inwhich people in my community (the Christian community) traditionally handle the death of a lovedone. This information on the Christian rituals will be drawn from an interview held between my aunt(who has dealt with a few Christian funerals) and me.EthnographyNot all Christian funeral rituals are the exact same, but it all serves the same principle and purpose.Christians believe in the afterlife where they get judged by God, so they live their lives in order tofind peace in heaven when they pass away. Christians believe that when they die, it is the end of theirlives on earth. When someone is on their deathbed due to the most likely causes such as a long periodof illness, a priest will prepare this person for death by praying for the patient. Some people who passaway leave information on what they want to be included in the funeral service, such as prayers andhymns, and they will also state whether they want to be cremated or buried.It takes up to five days for the deceased body to get buried or cremated, depending on how long theforms take. Once the Christian is deceased, the doctor has to certify that the person is dead and sign aform as well as a family member that needs to identify the person and also sign the form. Once theform is registered, the body will be kept in the hospital. Usually on the second day the body will thenget taken to the funeral home where the body gets washed and new clothes will be put on thedeceased’s body. Sometimes make-up gets put on the deceased body and their hair gets done. Thisdepends on if the body dies from a natural death, then the process will be quicker, because if the deathis unnatural, the body has to be inspected.
