Death is not only a biological occurrence leaving the corpse as a residue that must be administered to; it is also, and more importantly, a sociocultural fundamental because of the beliefs and representations it gives rise to and the attitudes and...

Ecumenism, conceived as the task of knitting together the divisions within Christianity on behalf of the entire world, may extend as far back as New Testament times and the debate concerning Gentile missions at the Jerusalem Conference. However, the...

The dead are normally buried (see *BURIAL) although cremation is accepted by *Progressive Jews. The corpse is washed and men are buried in their prayer shawls (see *TALLIT). The *Psalms are recited at home and the body is escorted to the cemetery....

consist of a procession to the burning ground followed by cremation to the accompaniment of the recitation of sacred texts and by the circumambulation of the funeral pyre anti-clockwise. Charred bones are thrown into the river, traditionally on the...

One funeral makes many....

A funeral is a ceremony marking a person's death. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from the funeral itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor. These...