Wake (ceremony)

A wake is a social gathering associated with death, held before a funeral. Traditionally, a wake involves family and friends keeping watch over the body of the dead person, usually in the home of the deceased. Some wakes are held at a funeral home or another convenient location. The wake or the viewing of the body is a part of death rituals in many cultures. It allows one last interaction with the dead, providing a time for the living to express their thoughts and feelings with the deceased.^[1] It highlights the idea that the loss is borne by the whole community and is a way of honoring the deceased member.^[2] The emotional tone of a wake is sometimes seen as more positive than a funeral due to the socially supportive atmosphere and the focus on the life rather than the death of the deceased.^[3]

^ Hoy, William G. (2013). Do Funerals Matter? : The Purposes and Practices of Death Rituals in Global Perspective. Taylor and Francis. p. 108. ISBN 978-0-415-66204-8. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
^ Metcalf, Peter & Richard Huntington (1991). Celebrations of Death: The Anthropology of Mortuary Ritual. ^{[page needed]} Cambridge Press, New York. ^{[ISBN missing]}
^ Davies, Douglas J. (2015). Mors Britannica: Lifestyle & Death-Style in Britain Today. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 129. ISBN 9780199644971.

[1] Hoy, William G. (2013). Do Funerals Matter? : The Purposes and Practices of Death Rituals in Global Perspective. Taylor and Francis. p. 108. ISBN 978-0-415-66204-8. Retrieved 18 February 2018.

[2] Metcalf, Peter & Richard Huntington (1991). Celebrations of Death: The Anthropology of Mortuary Ritual. ^{[page needed]} Cambridge Press, New York. ^{[ISBN missing]}

[3] Davies, Douglas J. (2015). Mors Britannica: Lifestyle & Death-Style in Britain Today. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 129. ISBN 9780199644971.

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