Funeral Traditions and Rituals during Burial

There are a number of reasons why relatives of the deceased decide to arrange their relative’s funeral rites themselves. Affiliation with a rare religious faith, ethnic traditions, limited financial resources, and moral principles all establish their own secrets of the ritual. Only under any circumstances is there a system of measures regulated by law. A brief guide can help navigate difficult times and prepare a dignified farewell ritual.

Initial Calls

If a person dies at home, at work, or in an apartment or country house, it is necessary to immediately call emergency medical assistance and the police to confirm the death. After examining the remains, medical personnel will order a team from the forensic medical examiner’s office to transport the deceased to the morgue. The transport is free of charge. It is very important for relatives to inquire about the location of the morgue. Following a death in a hospital, the body is transferred to the morgue by medical staff after the time of death is recorded. Relatives are notified in person or by phone.

Notifying Relatives

Once the body is transported to the morgue, a burial date must be determined and the deceased’s immediate circle—friends, relatives, and colleagues—must be notified. As usual, the burial takes place on the third day after death. Only relatives or guardians can make the decision.

Morgue

To rule out the possibility of a violent death, an autopsy is performed. If the person died in an apartment due to a protracted illness or in a medical facility, it is always possible to opt out of the procedure. In this case, a written request must be submitted to the morgue management. After the natural decision regarding an autopsy and embalming is made, the body is prepared for burial. Morgue staff wash, make up, and dress the deceased. You will need to provide clothing, underwear, and some personal hygiene items to the morgue. A complete list of items will be provided at the morgue.

Death Registration

You need to get a death certificate from the morgue. It will be needed to issue a certificate at the registry office, but also to submit it to the church to confirm death for ordinary reasons (people who commit suicide do not have a funeral service). In order to purchase a document, you must show a medical insurance policy, the passport of the deceased and the passport of the burial coordinator. This may be one of the relatives or third-party representatives by proxy of the family. You must obtain a certificate in form No. 11 and a stamp of death certificate from the registry office in the region of registration. Without certificates, it is impossible to conduct a burial and receive state benefits for burial. It is required to create several duplicates of certificates and certificates at once for submission to social protection organizations, at the place of work or to the Pension Fund.

Funeral donations are issued within 2-3 hours on weekdays. If your financial situation is difficult, you can donate it to the benefit of a “free funeral.” The social package provides a register of funeral services and supplies needed for burial. Even in this case, relatives will need to pay for grave diggers at the cemetery and movers, purchase clothes, organize a wake and funeral service.

Free space in the cemetery

After purchasing death documents and state benefits, you need to register a place in the cemetery. If there is a related burial, you need to go to the necropolis administration. When there is no space available, it is possible to obtain it free of charge only in open graveyards. Cremation is essentially the same thing as burial, since the body goes into the ground. Of course

cremation – this is not yet such an actively used service, but when ordering it, you will also need space ordering services and purchasing ceremonial equipment

After resolving management tasks, you need to purchase funeral paraphernalia:

• ritual wreaths;
• choose and order a coffin;
• plaque and grave cross;
• religious accessories;
• bedding;
• shoes, clothes, linen for the deceased.

It is recommended to purchase all accessories through the online store. This way you can completely control costs, and of course avoid secondary contacts with illegal ritual representatives.

Funeral traditions and rituals during burial