These days, its more unique to have a traditional service at a funeral home in Oakland, CA than a modern service like a cremation, a celebration of life, or other casual, more “fun” services.

These shifts have made the traditional funeral home service more of a novelty. In fact, if you want to break the mold, you should consider having a traditional funeral. Here’s what you should include to make your lost loved one’s funeral traditional:

• Prelude Music – The service is usually opened by an instrumental song, oftentimes piano or organ.
• Scripture and Sermon – The officiant will read from the Bible, generally passages about life, death, and resurrection. The officiant will also usually give a short sermon based on some fact from the deceased’s life or on hope after loss.
• Eulogy and Tributes – One of the deceased’s close family or friends will give a tribute speech, called a eulogy, to honor their life, who they were, their values, and their legacy. After, the officiant will give time for other service attendees to stand up and say a few words about the deceased. Sometimes these tributes are arranged ahead of time, and other times they are spur of the moment.
• Welcome, Prayer, and Singing – The officiant, usually a priest or pastor, welcomes the guests and prays over them. After, the congregation sings one or two traditional hymns.
• Flowers – Flowers were originally included in funeral services to mask the smell of the body decaying. Thanks to modern preservation, that’s no longer necessary. However, decorating funerals with flowers is now considered traditional, and it’s hard to find a service that doesn’t have any. The beauty and fragility of flowers conveys something of a picture of life and death. Plus, they are a wonderful way to decorate the space as mourners prepare to honor the life of the departed.
• Food – Funerals also almost always include a reception following the service with food, drinks, and companionship. This is to meet the desire to gather together over a meal to comfort one another, reminisce, and share stories of sweet memories.
• Music – Almost every funeral and modern service include music. Traditional funeral services are often held at church and will typically include hymns sung by the congregation. Sometimes they also include solo singing or tribute songs to honor the deceased.
• Closing and Recessional – The officiant will give a closing remark, usually a prayer, benediction, or even another song. Then, the pallbearers will carry the casket to the hearse, upon which it will be taken to the cemetery for burial or the crematorium for cremation.
• Burial – Traditional funerals oftentimes have the casket with the deceased inside displayed at the altar or front of the funeral home. They will also usually be followed by an internment service in which the casket is buried.

We are here to help if you want more information about traditional funerals at Oakland, CA funeral homes. Call or visit us today to learn more about what we can do for you in your time of loss or preplanning.