Death Customs of American Culture - Paper Example

Introduction

Different cultures have different beliefs regarding death and dying. Dying refers to approaching death, which includes the actions involved and the choices people make (DeSpelder, and Albert). Funeral customs in the United States have changed with time. Initially, the focus of funerals was to mourn the dead while today, the purpose is to celebrate the deceased's life. Since the American culture is diverse, the funeral rites are based on the deceased's culture and his/her family. In contemporary North America, funeral rituals are basic. They are categorized into visitation, funeral, and burial service. Visitation includes viewing the body, and in most cases, the attendee sign on a book. The family may consider either an open or closed casket viewing depending on the condition of the body or the viewers' emotional strength.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

People have different beliefs on life after death, with the majority of Americans believing in the afterlife. Some believe that after death, one goes to heaven, hell, they are reborn, or they appear as ghosts (Roper Center). Some also are unsure of whether there is life after death and others believe that apart from the mentioned, there are other dimensions of the afterlife. Afterlife beliefs are influenced by factors such as religious orientations and traditional conceptions.

Culture of Burying

The American culture of burying the deceased is changing, and they are embracing new ways of body disposition. Before the 21st century, American body disposition culture involved the preservation of the body using a formaldehyde fluid for a few days and then burying the remains and marking the grave with a tombstone (Marsh). This form of body disposition is termed as expensive and environmentally unfriendly, thus looking for greener and cheaper options such as cremation and alkaline hydrolysis, which involves the use of the salt-based solution and water to dissolve the remains. Alkaline hydrolysis is considered preferable to fire cremation, which is less environmentally friendly. People are also embracing green burials where the remains are buried without a casket or with a highly biodegradable one.

In American funerals, people wear black, blue, or gray, with black being a sign of mourning (Craven). This originated from the British Empire, enduring Victoria's reign. Black, therefore, has become a sign of mourning in the United States. Many people think that majority of all cultures wear black garments when mourning, but this is absolutely untrue. The mourning color in Egypt, for example, is grey, while in Guatemala, it is purple. In Australian culture, white is the color that symbolizes mourning. Traditionally, widowed women wore white caps for weeks or months, and after the end of the mourning period, they would place the cap on the grave.

Conclusion

After the death of a family or friend, people undergo a period of mourning, which takes different stages in no specific order (DeSpelder, and Albert). One of the stages is denial and isolation, where the grieved person does not believe that they will not see the deceased person again. They still have hope that the person will one day appear to them alive. The second stage of grieving is anger, which occurs when reality hits, and one starts blaming the deceased or other people for death. This stage is followed by bargaining, which involves attempts to regain control of the situation. Grievers feel that they could have done something to prevent the death. Mourners may also undergo depression before accepting what has happened.

Works Cited

Craven, Charles. Cravens-Funerals.Com, 2019,
https://www.cravens-funerals.com/colours-of-mourning-around-the-world/.

DeSpelder, Lynne Ann, and Albert Lee Strickland. The last dance: Encountering death and dying. Mayfield Publishing Co, 1996.

Marsh, Tanya. "Life After Death: Americans Are Embracing New Ways To Leave Their Remains." The Conversation, 2017, https://theconversation.com/life-after-death-americans-are-embracing-new-ways-to-leave-their-remains-85657.

Roper Center. "Paradise Polled: Americans And The Afterlife | Roper Center For Public Opinion Research." Ropercenter.Cornell.Edu, 2019,
https://ropercenter.cornell.edu/paradise-polled-Americans-and-afterlife#:~:text=A%202010%2060%20Minutes%2FVanity,7%25%20didn't%20know.