Funeral in the Russian tradition

Funeral in the Russian tradition

To our friendship! Russian-German families mourn differently. In traditional families, it is customary to lament and weep aloud following a death. Women in particular, from the family and village community, take on the role of mourners in the home and at the funeral. At the graveside too, people weep and lament openly. The body is treated with little reserve. Many traditional families are accustomed to preparing, washing and dressing the person themselves. This is connected with the custom of laying out the body in an open coffin. In the countries of origin, the coffin often remained open until it was lowered. The person lying in repose is frequently visited and there may be a formal vigil. Many traditional families want the coffin to remain open during the funeral service. Earth burial was customary throughout the countries of origin. The biblical words “From the earth you were taken, and to the earth you shall return” play an important part for traditional families. For Russian-German families, a funeral sermon must include a precise account of the external facts of the person’s life. Families are usually glad to gather this information or have already prepared it for the minister’s visit. Both resettlers and local people find it helpful when the displacement and wartime experiences of Russian Germans receive proper recognition in the life story. This is often a key to mutual understanding. Family members or close friends are often glad to act as pallbearers, for which arrangements with the funeral home are important. The family may close the grave during the burial ceremony themselves, or the assembled congregation may wait until cemetery staff have done so. This requires agreement with cemetery staff. Many families keep characteristic farewell photographs of the dead in a dedicated album. As in the example reproduced on the following page, these show the family standing around the open coffin. In the countries of origin, coffins were often decorated and painted with religious sayings. Today, the open coffin, burial and grave are often photographed or filmed with relatives standing alongside. This gives family members who cannot attend an important way to share in the funeral. The meal following the funeral is an important part of the burial ceremony and anyone able to attend should make every effort to do so. Eating together remembers the person who has died and maintains contact across the extended family and circle of friends, especially when those taking part live far apart. In traditional families, songs and prayers are a natural part of the “Tränenbrot”, or meal of mourning, and ministers are often asked to say prayers. Planning ahead. Our task is to offer the family of the person who has died all the help we can. It can be difficult to find your way through so many different responsibilities. We will gladly visit you at home. If you would prefer to meet elsewhere, we can also collect you and bring you to our office for a conversation. You can safely entrust all the formalities to us, whether the person died at home, in a care home or in hospital. What we will do for you: organise the funeral; submit the death certificate to the register office; obtain the burial permit; register with the cemetery administration and select a burial plot; and notify the church parish or preacher. We take care of: health insurers; insurance companies, including funeral provision or life insurance; deregistration from pension funds; the short-term survivor’s pension for a spouse; and settlement with health insurers and insurance companies if you wish. We also provide: draft obituaries and condolence notices for all newspapers; mourning letters; mourning cards; coffin decorations and wreaths; musical accompaniment for the funeral by a specialist orchestra; and a book of remembrance and condolences.