Viewing
Also called: Visitation, Wake
Time at the funeral home when family and friends gather around the body before the funeral. Can be open-casket (body visible) or closed-casket.
Viewing is typically held the evening before a funeral, or in the hours just before. Length varies — two hours is common, all-day is not unusual for large families or close-knit communities. The body has usually been embalmed and cosmetically prepared, though refrigeration plus skilled preparation can also support a short viewing without embalming.
An open-casket viewing means the upper half of the casket is open and the body is visible. Closed-casket viewings happen when the family prefers privacy, when the death involved trauma, or when too much time has passed since death for the body to be presentable.
Some traditions distinguish between a 'wake' (held at home or in a private space, sometimes for multiple days, with food and storytelling) and a 'visitation' (held at the funeral home in a defined window). The words are often used interchangeably today.
- Embalming— A chemical process that temporarily preserves the body, used mainly to allow a viewing several days after death. Not required by law in most situations.
- Traditional funeral— A funeral with embalming, viewing, a formal service at a funeral home or place of worship, and burial in a cemetery. The most expensive of the common options.
- Casket— The container the body is placed in for viewing and burial. Required for traditional funerals; optional for direct cremation (a cardboard 'alternative container' suffices).
This definition is general consumer information, not legal, medical, or financial advice. Industry practices and regulations change occasionally; verify before relying on anything here for a specific decision.
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