I've seen all different variations over the years…open caskets, closed caskets, pre cremation etc.

But I'm not sure that i've ever seen the lid get shut like you described!

I can imagine that it would be very hard. I haven't ever heard of it this way. Every one that I have been to, the casket stays open until everyone leaves the room, and once everyone is gone they closed it..

Same as you Heidi, the day before is the Wake, the day of the burial is the Funeral.

I've heard viewing & wake

for me when growing up, anything before the funeral at the funeral home was a viewing. the wake usually took place at the home of the family itself, a sort of muted party as it were, celebrating the life of the deceased. some cried, some laffed, most did a bit of both. there was food and drink.

years ago, when the bodies were kept in the home, the wake/viewing were simultaneous, tho usually the body in the parlor and wake in the rest of the house, with people going in and out as they wanted to pay their respects. …this may just be the irish interpretation, tho.

and heidi: *hug* i cannot imagine the horror of watching them close the lid like that. i have never heard of that happening in front of everyone. i would find that very traumatizing.

On another board I belong to we are having a discussion about Wakes and Funerals.

It made me remember something that occured at one I went to that I had never seen

done before, so I wonder if anyone else has had this happen.

It was a funeral for a 17 year old boy I knew. The wake had been the night before

and the funeral was being held in the Funeral Home. When we got there that morning

we were surprised to see that the casket was still open. After a little while the Funeral

Director came in (the immediate family was about to arrive) and announced he would

be closing the casket if anyone wanted to step out. I had never seen this done, where

they close the casket in front of everyone there for the funeral. It was honestly awful

to witness, and I'll know next time to "step out" if it ever happens again. Psychologically

watching the lid shut on that boy I adored, it was so hard.

So I'm curious, and when Gene gets back I'd love his take on this,

have any of you witnessed this? I dont mean when a few family

members stay behind, this was in a huge room full of people there

for the funeral.

I'm sorry to hear that you witnessed that, Heidi. I've seen it done a number of ways. For my Uncle John, the casket was open before the funeral ceremony took place and then it was closed right before. There were people in the church and my daughter saw it. I wasn't there at the time, she was with my husband, and she got upset. For my Uncles Ted and Frank, the caskets were closed. For my Aunt Marcella, the casket was open during the visitation and then she was cremated. For my mother in law, the casket was closed during the funeral mass but open during the visitation. There, they gave the immediate family some time to be with her before other people came in. People were ushered out except for the family when the casket was closed. For Bertha, the casket was open during the visitation and then she was cremated. For a co-worker, they closed the casket before the funeral mass but open just prior to it.

As far as the time before the funeral service takes place, I've heard it called visitation, wake, viewing and reviewal, which I find extremely strange. I've also noticed a trend toward having the visitation the same day as the funeral rather than the day before. I think that's a bit kinder on the grieving family not have to go through two days of it.