Professional Documents
Culture Documents
How Death Is Perceived in Different Religions
How Death Is Perceived in Different Religions
How Death Is Perceived in Different Religions
The way people perceive death, what happens after it, and the farewell rites are
often directly related to culture and beliefs; religion also plays an important role
because it influences its meaning and the existence or not of eternal life, or
reincarnation.
Aninut: It is the temporary space that passes between the death of the loved
one and his burial; that must be immediately, as long as it is not a Saturday
or a public holiday. After death, his body is bathed in rituals by members of
the group called "Sacred Society", who are in charge of caring for the
corpse. Generally, at the burial ritual is easy, prayers and words are made
for the loved one, all without floral decorations.
The family makes donations to charities. Non-Jewish people can participate
in the funeral, but not in the burial.
At burial, all Jewish men must respectfully cover their heads. That phase of
the ritual is reserved for the closest families.
Condolences are not received at that stage.
Schiwa: represents the seven days after the burial. During this time the
family takes a break, personal hygiene is reduced. The first three days the
family is alone and does not receive visitors.
Within three days the family receives condolences from friends, distant
relatives and co-workers.
To end the Schiwa phase, a previously forbidden act is performed, such as
cutting one's hair, studying Torah, or making a loud noise.
Scheloschim: are the next 30 days where the time of mourning ends except
for the parents of the deceased, whose mourning lasts 11 months. During
that time, it is prayed and mentioned in the prayer for the dead in the
synagogue weekly.