Comparative Analysis of Funeral Practices: Three Countries

This report provides a detailed comparative analysis of funeral practices in France, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. It examines the roles of family members, cremation rates, embalming practices, and mourning customs in each country. The report explores the impact of globalization, secularization, and religious beliefs on funeral traditions, including the influence of Catholicism in France, Buddhism and Shinto in Japan, and Islamic teachings in Saudi Arabia. It also discusses the presence and influence of hospice care, the language and occupations of the citizens, and the role of funeral directors in each country. The study highlights the variations in funeral arrangements, from the use of caskets and embalming to the ecological considerations in funeral planning, providing a comprehensive overview of the cultural and practical aspects of death management in these three distinct societies.

Running head: PRINCIPLES OF FUNERAL SERVICE 1
Principles of Funeral Service
Name of the Student
Name of the Institution
Principles of Funeral Service

PRINCIPLES OF FUNERAL SERVICES 2
Every society has a task of managing the death of its member. The task entails cultural
resources and institutional arrangements. As a consequence of cultural factors, different
countries have varied funeral practices. However, due to globalization, there is a convergence of
some elements in funeral practices in the various countries. Some of the homogeneous practices
in the modern globalized societies include mourning, psychologizing of the grief, and
medicalizing of the dying. The objective of this paper, therefore, is to describe and compare
funeral practices of three different countries. The countries chosen to demonstrate the disparity in
the funeral practice for this article are France, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. The management of the
increasing number of deaths is likely to be rationalized and controlled, hence, making funeral
organizations religious, commercial or municipal. These institutional funeral organizations have
thus manifested each country as unique in how it disposes of it, dead members. Nevertheless,
globalization, specialization, rationalization, and secularization are likely to develop uniformity
in funeral practices in future (Howarth & Jupp, 2016).
France
I. The roles of the family in funeralization.
Family members have a significant role to play during funeralization in France.
Immediately after death a family member or a close relative has to contact the local doctor or a
family doctor who will confirm the death and avail a medical certificate of death. Besides, a
family member must notify and register the death with the Mairie (local town hall) in the locality
within 24 hours. Once the burial permit is granted, family members have a responsibility of
moving the corpse into a morgue and organized a burial within six days. During funeral
preparation period close relatives and family members spend time together consoling each other.

PRINCIPLES OF FUNERAL SERVICES 3
Additionally, during the burial relatives of the departed person prepare food and drinks at home.
After the burial close friends, close relatives are welcomed to have a bite and drink (Garbay &
Claxton-Oldfield, 2015).
After funeral family members have an obligation to the following within seven days;
 Landlord- in case the deceased was a rental residence or business premises.
 Bank- making mention where deceased had a joint account
 Employer- the deceased employee has to be notified
 Health and life insurance companies
Equally, family members have a duty to obtain a death certificate and the inheritance certificate
from the local Mairie of the deceased with a month. Family members must also acquire “Act of
recognition” which is provided by the notary office. The “Act of recognition” proofs the heirship
of the immediate family members or a spouse. Within six months family members should
contact a lawyer for dissolution, the release of inheritance, and payment of all taxes. Similarly,
within a year family members should also inform service providers such as vehicle insurance,
electricity, water, and other relevant service providers of the deceased.
II. The growth of cremation.
In France, the law outlining the time frames of cremation is still evolving as more
citizens embrace it as a funeral practice. Currently, the permission to cremate is granted by the
Mairie of the place death occurred. Once the permission is granted cremation should happen in a
minimum of 24 hours or a maximum of 6 days. Despite the strict laws governing cremation, the
International Cremation Statistics of 2012 indicate France to have 32.3% of its citizen embracing

PRINCIPLES OF FUNERAL SERVICES 4
this practice. This growth is attributed to secularization. Initially, the practice was not a choice
for many families in France because of religious influence.
III. The growth of 'green' or ecologically-friendly funerals.
The France Family Funerals is at the center of encouraging French citizens to appreciate
the green way of having funerals. As a consequence, of the campaign led by this organization
many people are embracing funerals that are environmentally friendly. Eco-friendly funerals are
constituted of numerous elements which include; the eco-casket or coffin chosen, mortuary care,
natural burial, and cremation services. All these services are on the increase in France because
people are becoming more environmentally sensitive and also desire to leave a legacy behind.
IV. The creation and/or sales of caskets or outer burial containers.
In France, production and sale of coffins or caskets is a well-established business
industry. Funeral homes run the business. Research has shown that casket buyers will normally
buy an average price casket. Traditionally funeral homes have the sole sellers of caskets in
France. However other companies have emerged to set up their casket showrooms. In law, no
funeral home is allowed to refuse the use of a casket bought from elsewhere (Kselman, 2014).
V. The mourning customs and funeral practices of the citizens.
It is accustom of the French people to walk behind the hearse. Customary, the body of a
child is carried by a horse-drawn hearse while the family and the rest of the mourners walk
behind it. This custom is so because cemetery in all towns is not far from the church or
residential apartments. The death of a child or a young person is perceived as unfair, and it
makes people grieve. However, the death of an old person makes people feel linked with the

PRINCIPLES OF FUNERAL SERVICES 5
dead. In small towns relatives of the deceased always place a pen and a book by the front door of
their house for people to write their condolences; in a larger town and cities condolences, books
are paced at funeral homes (Flynn, 2014).
VI. The influence (or lack) of hospice.
Hospice care is present in France. The transition from curative care to hospice care is
subtle in France because it is determined by the team that was initially caring for the patient
during curative care. Hospice care led to the contemplation of patient sedation for the terminally
ill patients. Consequently, allowing the terminally ill patient to request for constant sedation until
death occurs. The patient can opt to be sedated at a hospice center or at home (Robben, 2017).
VII. The primary language and varied occupations of the citizens.
The primary language spoken in France is French. It is spoken by over 48 million people
in France. It was listed as the France official language in the year 1995; however, it has acted as
the Nation's administration language for official, law, and legal documents starting from the year
1539. The most common occupations in France are teaching, marketing personnel, civil servants,
and police officers.
VIII. The various religious beliefs of those in the countries.
France is a secular state which does not support any specific religion. However, France
has a long historical adept for Catholicism. It is thus right to conclude that French culture is
essentially Catholic. Other religions practiced in France include Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism.

PRINCIPLES OF FUNERAL SERVICES 6
IX. The presence of funeral directors in the country and their job outlook.
Funeral directors are available in France charging an average of $22 per hour. Their job
includes planning and coordinating the resources as well as services in a funeral home. They also
determine the prices of services in a funeral home.
X. The practice of embalming in the country (or lack thereof)
The practice of embalming in France is common with a ratio of 3:4; three bodies are embalmed
in every four deaths. It was introduced in the French funeral customs at around 1960s due to
summer temperatures (Atanda & Sule, 2016). However, before embalming authorization of a
close relative is required. In France, nonetheless embalming has been denied to HIV people since
1986, but the ban was lifted on 28th September 2017. Besides, it remains illegal to embalm
people who have died of rabies, cholera, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in France (Charlier, &
Dorion-Peyronnet, 2016).
Japan
I. The roles of the family in funeralization
The basic role of the family members once somebody dies in Japan is to inform the
friends and other cousins. Besides, the family members place a white paper lantern at the front
door as a sign that that one of their members has died. Family members also inform the local
authorities to be issued with a death certificate (Fukaya, 2017). The family has the role of
contacting the neighborhood temple for funeral arrangements.
II. The growth of cremation
Cremation is very popular in Japan as compared to any other western countries. In fact,
99% of families living in Japan cremate their dead members. The popularity of cremation in

PRINCIPLES OF FUNERAL SERVICES 7
Japan is inspired by the government push and by the limited space. Most importantly for many
Japanese families cremation is understood as purification rite prior to joining the next life (Beard
& Burger, 2017).
III. The growth of 'green' or ecologically-friendly funerals
Japan embraced ecological friendly funeral long ago as result of their culture. More than
99% of the dead people are cremated in Japan thus making the leading nation in ecological
friendly funerals globally (Duteil-Ogata, 2015).
IV. The creation and/or sales of caskets or outer burial containers
Caskets are not commonly used in Japan because many people opt for cremation.
Nevertheless, it is one of the most expensive things for those who opt for the traditional burial. A
casket can cost between $2,000 and $10,000 in Japan. The price is dependent on the nature of the
material used to make the casket.
V. The mourning customs and funeral practices of the citizens
Mourning in Japan is understood as a personal expression. Every person is thus entitled
to a unique way of manifesting his/her grief depending on the relationship they shared with the
deceased or the family of the deceased. As a way of demonstrating solidarity with the family of
the deceased close relatives and friends conduct a wake known as “tsuya.” During this night
people express their severe grief while dressed in black from toe to head (Danely, 2015).
VI. The influence (or lack) of hospice
Hospice was introduced in Japan in the 1970s to care for the terminally ill cancer
patients. Most of the hospices are managed by hospitals and are mainly concern with cancer
patients who are in intense pain. Infected patients are few in the hospice care due to the low
cases HIV in Japan.

PRINCIPLES OF FUNERAL SERVICES 8
VII. The primary language and varied occupations of the citizens
Japan is a very homogeneous country culturally, ethnically, and linguistically with almost
99% of its population speaking Japanese. The most common occupations in Japan include
teaching, professional fishermen, models, TV actors, Engineers, and chefs.
VIII. The various religious beliefs of those in the countries
Buddhism and Shinto are the main religions in Japan. The latter is engraved in the
Japanese culture while the former was imported in Japan at the start of the 6th century. These two
religions co-exist harmoniously and complement each other; hence, most of the Japanese people
consider themselves Shintoist, Buddhist.
IX. The presence of funeral directors in the country and their job outlook
Funeral directors are available for hire in Japan. Some of their numerous include:
transporting the body of the deceased, preparing the body for the burial, obtaining and submitting
all the legal documents demanded before burial, arranging and supervising the visitation, and
helping the family members plan for the funeral (Kim, 2016).
X. The practice of embalming in the country (or lack thereof)
The practice of embalming became popular in Japan in 1995 after the victims of Great
Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake were embalmed by the foreigners who were assisting recover bodies.
The practice is thus on the increase with 8.9% increase within the period covering 2005 and
2016. This increased is inspired by how the medical treatment is transforming bodies thus
allowing people enough mourning period (Van der Pijl, 2017).

PRINCIPLES OF FUNERAL SERVICES 9
Saudi Arabia
I. The roles of the family in funeralization.
Funerals in Saudi Arabia are done in strict adherence to the Islamic teachings.
Immediately after the death of a person, the family consults with the mosque funeral coordinator
to arrange for the funeral before the sun sets. They make sure they collect the relevant document
including the death certificate as the other family members prepare the body for the burial (Beck,
2013). Family members also prepare food with the assistance of women from the community
during the burial day. Close relatives are expected to remain with the family of the deceased for a
few days to aid them in receiving visitors and condolences.
II. The growth of cremation
Saudi Arabia is an Islamic state, and therefore, every citizen is expected to be a Muslim.
Consequently, cremation is prohibited in Saudi Arabia because it is in opposition to the Islamic
law (Rogeberg, 2017).
III. The growth of 'green' or ecologically-friendly funerals
As a result of Muslim traditions, bodies are wrapped with light white cloths and buried.
This tradition is in line with eco-friendly funerals when compared to the eco-friendly funeral in
the western nations (Garces-Foley, 2014).
IV. The creation and/or sales of caskets or outer burial containers
Caskets are made mainly for transporting bodies of the foreigners who die within the
Saud Arabia territory.
V. The mourning customs and funeral practices of the citizens
Mourning in Saudi Arabia takes a very low-key. Besides, burial remains to be simple
especially for those who follow Wahhabism sect of Islam (Lee, 2014).

PRINCIPLES OF FUNERAL SERVICES 10
VI. The influence (or lack) of hospice
Hospice care is insufficient in Saudi Arabia due to the religious reasons. Besides, the
meaning of death with dignity is entirely different in the Muslim community where death is
founded on the Koran.
VII. The primary language and varied occupations of the citizens
Arabic is the mother tongue for the Saudi Arabia natives; it is also the official language
used in business and government offices. Majority of it Saudi Arabia citizens work in the oil
industry.
VIII. The various religious beliefs of those in the countries
Saudi Arabia follows Sunni Islamic teachings and no any other religion is tolerated.
Muslims from the Shiite sect are not allowed to exercise their worship in Saudi Arabia.
Furthermore, they are not allowed to work or hold any state or public office. Tourists are not
allowed to display any religious symbols (Vassiliev, 2013).
IX. The presence of funeral directors in the country and their job outlook
Funeral directors are available in the Saudi Arabia, and their mandate is to manage
funeral homes and to assist families to plan the funerals of their deceased members. They also
help foreigners to prepare and transport the body to the destination country.
X. The practice of embalming in the country (or lack thereof)
Embalming is not a legal requirement for the bodies which are buried shortly after death.
However, the majority of the Saudi Arabia funeral homes will demand embalming where
visitation and viewing the body are involved (Al-Waheeb & Aljerian, 2015). Besides, Saudi

PRINCIPLES OF FUNERAL SERVICES 11
Arabia law demands that a body must be embalmed before it is shipped or transported outside
the country.

PRINCIPLES OF FUNERAL SERVICES 12
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