Funeral home facts for kids
A funeral home (also called a funeral parlor or mortuary) is a business that helps families when someone has died. They provide services for burial and funerals. This can include preparing a wake (a gathering before the funeral) and a funeral service. They might also have a special room called a chapel for the funeral.
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What Funeral Homes Do
Funeral homes help families plan services based on what the family wants. They often handle important paperwork and permits. They also make arrangements with the cemetery and help share obituaries (announcements about the person who died) with news media.
The idea of preparing bodies for burial goes way back to ancient Egypt. Egyptians were very good at preserving bodies. Today, many funeral homes also put obituaries online. They can even help families create special memorial websites.
Types of Services
In places like North America, there are a few common types of services:
- Traditional Funeral Service: This usually includes a viewing (where people can see the person in an open casket). Then there's a funeral service, often held at a church or the funeral home's chapel. Finally, there's a service at the graveside when the person is buried.
- Direct Cremation: With this service, the funeral home prepares the body for cremation. This means the body is turned into ashes. The funeral home also handles the necessary legal papers.
- Direct Burial: This is a simple burial without a formal funeral ceremony beforehand. The burial happens quickly.
Sometimes, a body needs to be moved to a different city or state for burial. Funeral homes can prepare the body for this journey. They place it in a coffin inside a special shipping container.
Body Preparation
When a body arrives at a funeral home, it might be embalmed. This process helps to slow down natural changes to the body. It can also make the body look more natural for a viewing. During embalming, special liquids are used. Funeral homes can also use makeup to help the person look peaceful and natural. If someone's face or hands are injured, the embalmer might use special techniques to make them look better for an "open casket" viewing. If this isn't possible, or if the family prefers, the funeral home can have a "closed casket" service.
Gathering Spaces
Funeral homes often have large rooms where people can gather for a visitation. This is a time for friends and family to pay their respects. These rooms might have a space to display the body in a casket. Funeral and memorial services can also take place right at the funeral home. Many funeral homes also let people plan their own funerals ahead of time. This is called prearrangement.
Most funeral homes, including those in Singapore, can handle all the arrangements from start to finish. This includes preparing the body and setting up the venue. However, families can also choose to make some arrangements on their own.
See also
In Spanish: Funeraria para niños
- Funeral Consumers Alliance
Image gallery
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Offices of the Butterworth & Sons mortuary in Seattle, Washington, 1900
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J. Levy & Bro Funeral Home in Galveston
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Reasons for funerals, from "The Funeral from Ancient Egypt to Present-day America", Resthaven Memorial Park
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Overton Funeral Home in Islip, New York
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Columbia Funeral Home in Seattle, Washington
