In a recent blog post, we discussed current thoughts on funeral etiquette. In this post, we will explore some of the history of funerals. The term funeral derives from the Latin word funus, meaning “funeral, funeral procession, burial rites” or “death, corpse.” The word initially referred specifically to the burial of the dead until the early 1500s, when its meaning broadened through usage to refer to the ceremony surrounding burying someone who died. Source: https://www.verywellhealth.
Until the 20th century, in the US, funerals were organized by family and/ or friends and were typically held in the home. Most people were buried on the family property. Later, as populations grew, cemeteries and funeral homes began to emerge. If we are to explore the beginning of the modern funeral home, we must first discuss embalming. Embalming began during the time of ancient Egyptians. Remember King Tut’s tomb? In the US, embalming gained prominence during the Civil War. It became necessary to embalm soldier’s bodies to preserve them for the trip home.
It is noteworthy that we have become sensitive to certain words in our society. For example, I have always been uncomfortable with the term “undertaker”. It just seemed to be insensitive to me. But, as I have been researching the history of funerals for this blog post, I learned that the word comes from reference to the person who “undertook” the responsibility for funeral arrangements. It isn’t directly related to burial, as I thought. It was often the furniture makers that undertook the task because building caskets was reasonable extension of their business. Mostly, this was a second business to that of their furniture production.
Instead of traveling to the home to preserve a dead body, undertakers now transported the body from the home or hospital to a central place of business. Many undertakers lived in the funeral home and their families often assisted in running the business. Source: https://classroom.synonym.com/
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “All funeral directors must be licensed by the state in which they work …” and “must have at least an associate’s degree in mortuary science. A growing number of employers, however, prefer applicants to have a bachelor’s degree.” Applicants must be at least 21 years old, complete two years in a mortuary science program approved by the American Board of Funeral Service Education, and serve a one- to three-year apprenticeship. Source: https://classroom.synonym.com/
Before I conclude this post, I will leave you with an interesting connection to funeral service:
This post could go on for days, but I thought this would be enough to peak your interest. If you would like to know more about the history of funerals, I encourage you to visit these Websites:
Funeral/ Burial timeline: http://thefuneralsource.org/
NDFA Funeral History: https://www.nfda.org/consumer-
National Museum of Funeral History: https://www.nmfh.org/exhibits/