Cult of the Dead : Concept meaning and use.

    Key words : funeral , burial , postfuneral , prefuneral , disposal , hygienic-functional perspective , traditional perspective .
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Definition : I think many of us heard this term at least once , but what is it referring to ? Cult of the Dead its a term used to describe the spiritual and material elements that have a role in preparing the deceased for burial and all the postburial rituals and ceremonies that are meant to preserve his or her memory for the following generations. 

      This concept can be found in every culture, its importance to the general well being of the society is quite evident , even though in some cases this concept can lack the spiritual component that includes specific rituals of a religious nature , it can incorporate only the material side that deals with the preservation and later disposal of the body of the deceased .       In modern industrialized societies burial is often seen from only from the hygienic-functional perspective , what this is referring to is the fact that the disposal of the body is a necessity for the maintaining  a healthy environment for the community. In traditional societies  The Cult of the Dead has its spiritual side more developed then its material one . The spiritual side is formed from all the rituals , ceremonies , funeral songs , funeral music  and superstitions on the other hand the material side gives all the technical methods , devices , tools and practices for the preservation and burial of the dead.

   The way people bury their dead is dictated by various factors as :

   1) religion - every religious cult has its own conceptions regarding burial practices , as a result the religion that the deceased practiced will have a great impact on the prefuneral procedures , funeral and on the burial itself . A good example wold be that the Catholic Church lets its followers be cremated opposed to the Orthodox Church that rejects cremation .

   2) natural resources and environment - the resources of the environment will have a important role to , in countries where land is very expensive people choose cremation instead of traditional burial .

   3) social status - the social status will influence the financial aspects , how much money will be spend on the funeral and postfuneral rituals and ceremonies.

   4) the option of the deceased - this is actually the most important factor . In some cases even though the deceased had the necessary resources for a complex funeral ceremony chose a modest more intimate ceremony.

   5) the circumstances in which he died  - depending on the place of death and the event that generated death some special procedures will be needed . 

   6) local costumes -  the costumes of the place play as also a important role in the planing of the funeral , some options may brake some taboos and a consequence they will be restricted .

 hygienic-functional perspective - burial or cremation  are  methods of disposal of the human body for mainly hygiene reasons , religious rituals are a optional thing . Associated with modern societies . 

traditional perspective - burial together with all the rituals and ceremonies associated with it are intended to ease the passing of the deceased's soul in the after life. Associated with traditional societies .

  This is all i had to say on this topic , hope you liked it . Leave me a comment bellow and tell me your opinion ! :)