FUNERAL ETIQUETE

« Letter of condolence

• The very first thing that one must do when a death occurs is to acknowledge it. If you hear of the death of someone whom you knew or if you notice that a relative or close friend or a co-worker or a friend has died, you should first sit down at your desk, take out paper and an envelope and write a letter of condolence. This is important especially if you are not planning to attend a funeral service or if there is no funeral service. Even if you attend a service, a letter is nice, but not obligatory thing to do. You DO NOT send an email or post a “thinking of your family and you” entry on a funeral home’s website or Facebook. Death requires more from you. A handwritten letter is where one begins. It need not be done through email or social media.

• Decide If You Need To Travel To The Country Depending on the laws of the place the person died, there may be rules around who can claim the body, make decisions About transporting the body, and sign the necessary paperwork to effect repatriation. These are some of the information your local consulate or embassy should help you with.

• Find A Funeral Home The foreign consulate or embassy will help you coordinate on the foreign side of things, but you'll need a funeral home that you can work with and it's a good idea to work with Sylva-Pat Enterprises because we have a huge experience in dealing with different countries in case of repatriation since we already understand the processes involved.

• Gather The Person's Belongings Whether you go to the country or not, you'll probably want to make arrangements to have the person's personal belongings collected and brought back to their home country. This may include everything from the person's passport and any relevant visas (which may be legally necessary in order to transport the body) to the person's clothes, accessories, and other items that he or she was traveling with.

«Greeting the Family

hear of the death of your aunt. Please accept my heartfelt sympathy. Your family and you are in my thoughts and prayers.” Just make sure you're genuine in the approach. If you are not religious, drop the prayers.

« What to Wear

• We all have many suits in our closet. Well, maybe not. However, we should have one dark suit or dress on hand for occasions such as a funeral.
• For men, A black suit is your number one choice but a navy suit or a charcoal gray suit, and if you don’t have anything else, even a midnight-blue pin stripe are all acceptable. Your shoes should be black whether they are wing tips or captoes. Solid black ties are quite appropriate for someone who has lost an immediate family member. • For women, just like the men, a conservative suit is appropriate, with a hat or fashion scarf on your head. Other wise a modest, dark gown (and covering your shoulders) reaching a bit below the knee is acceptable. If you must make up, never use loud colors and be economical with your face. You don't want to be the focus when your tears leave scary marks on your face.

« What NOT to Wear

• You should not show up to a funeral home or Church service wearing jeans, a golf shirt, a baseball cap, or sneakers. Likewise, women should avoid sequins, bright colors, and big jewelry. Even if the men sitting next to you are thusly attired, you know that you know better and are more respectful than they are.

« Religious & Ethnic Customs

•At many funerals today, a close family member or friend is asked to deliver an eulogy. Eulogy is a heart-felt tribute to the one we are there to remember. It is not an opportunity to get one last word about the deceased. It is not a comedy act. It is not also all About the speaker. It is about the way the person who died and the way she or he impacted upon people’s lives.If you are delivering an eulogy, this is your chance to speak about someone in a very dignified manner. If you are asked to deliver an eulogy, this is your chance to speak about someone in a very dignified manner. Make sure to sit down and take your time when you write it. Find the right balance between grief, cherished memories, and funny occasions. The length should be (but not more than) two letter or A4 pages in standard font size 12 to 14 depending on the font you choose, but Arial, OpenSans or Times New Roman are best. Avoid any remarks About drinking or dating habits of the deceased and do not bring up anything else that could be perceived as embarrassing or disrespectful. Flowers and Gifts You may want to acknowledge the death of someone in a more tangible manner than just a letter. In years gone by one sent flowers to the funeral home or a mourner’s house. The purpose of the flowers was quite practical. It offsets the odor of death and not-too-perfected embalming process. However, these days many people regard an overabundance of flowers as an excessive waste of money. Instead in the death notice or at the funeral home the names of one or two favorite charities of the deceased are noted in case one would prefer to make a memorial donation rather than send a spray of flowers. The choice is up to you if you want to make a charitable donation or not and it is up to you ultimately to which charity you would like to donate. The charity will inform the deceased family of the donation, or the funeral home will prepare a list of donors names and addresses. The amount of the gift is never mentioned.