Caskets, open or closed?

I've wondered about this for ages, but the Pope's funeral made me think of it again, is it just us British or a Protestant thing not to have open caskets? I know the Americans are very keen on them, they seem to get a bit freaked out by cremations too.

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  • It's curious what goes through the mind isn't it? I spend a lot of time imagining what my funeral will be like, weird really as I won't ever know, unless I suddenly pop out of my body as an awesome 21st century ghost - 22nd century if I live long enough, unlikely, but I'm not ruling that possibility out!!

    I would like an open casket, so my family can have a final image of me, something to remember me with. I like this idea, so long as I didn't get mauled by a bloodthirsty squirrel on my way home with the groceries... If you look facially presentable I think it would be nice to have that last look. When I attended my grans funeral, and my sisters, they both had closed caskets and that made me sad and frustrated that I didn't get the last look/image of them.

    Instead there were framed pictures of them stood on top their coffins.

    I would also like to be buried rather than cremated. I like the idea of everyone stood around my grave and the whole "earth to earth," performance you see on tv, assuming this happens in real life.

  • “Earth to earth”  happens at most of the gravesides I’ve been at. Although I’m no longer a practicing Catholic, I remember with a nice ‘fuzzy feeling’ the Ash Wednesday rituals in which foreheads would be marked with charcoal like ash, in the form of a cross, together with the accompanying words “remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return”. I always found the idea of us coming out of nothing and our bodies being of carbon rather comforting. 

  • Wow that's interesting. I haven't been to a funeral where that has happened yet, hopefully won't do for a very long time to come. I have only seen it on TV so far which is why I wondered if it was just a 'TV' thing.

    I think it's interesting there are so many traditions in life & death.

  • I agree that different traditions in life and death are interesting. I am very interested in how different religions approach stages of life and death. People of different faiths and none seek to make meaning through rituals involving tangible actions. I did an Open University course on “Death and Dying”  as part of my undergraduate degree. I loved it and it opened up a different world.

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  • I agree that different traditions in life and death are interesting. I am very interested in how different religions approach stages of life and death. People of different faiths and none seek to make meaning through rituals involving tangible actions. I did an Open University course on “Death and Dying”  as part of my undergraduate degree. I loved it and it opened up a different world.

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