What is a Home Funeral?
You don’t often, if ever, hear of people personally preparing a loved one for burial. Home funerals are not a common practice in the US. But as recently as 150 years ago, it was the norm. Families handled most of their own health matters, from birth to death. Undertakers became prevalent during the Civil War when numbers of people were dying away from home and were frequently transported back home. In addition to handling volume, undertakers offered preservation.
Today, Americans are looking for ways to personalize and assimilate death experiences. Our overall view of death is also changing as cultures become integrated and share traditions.
A Family Undertaking, a PBS documentary available at Netflix, conveys both the process and experience of home funerals. It also demonstrates how home funerals differ from conventional, commercial death care.
Lisa S.
August 6, 2010
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