Any number of individuals, male or female, may be selected as honorary pallbearers . They are often close friends of the deceased or the deceased’s family. The honorary pallbearers do not participate in carrying the casket or cremation container.
Do Honorary pallbearers have to be present?
In instances where a memorial service is held and the decedent is not present, active pallbearers are not needed . At these services, honorary pallbearers can be named in the program and given honorable mention. When someone dear to us dies, we want to do something to show we care for them and their family.
What does an honorary pallbearer mean?
An honorary pallbearer is one who is given special mention and recognition, but is not required to assist in carrying the casket . This honorary status is reserved for friends or relatives who are elderly, who otherwise could not bear the weight, or for others not chosen to be among the active, first six.
Is being a pallbearer an honor?
A pallbearer is one of the oldest and most important ceremonial roles at a funeral. Pallbearers are responsible for carrying the casket from inside the funeral home and placing it within the hearse. ... However, being asked to be a pallbearer is an expression of respect. If you are asked to be one, consider it an honor .
Can children of the deceased be pallbearers?
There is absolutely no limit as to how any people can serve as honorary pallbearers. Common choices for selecting pallbearers are siblings, adult children, grown grandchildren, nieces and nephews, close friends, and colleagues. Anyone you choose can serve as a pallbearer at your funeral.
Can a female be a pallbearer?
In most cases, pallbearers are people who have close relations with the deceased . It can be family members, relatives, co-workers, or close friends and women should not be excluded from the equation.
Do you have clothes on when you are cremated?
Kirkpatrick says clothing is optional . “If there’s been a traditional funeral, the bodies are cremated in the clothing. When there’s just a direct cremation without a service or viewing, they’re cremated in whatever they passed away in — pajamas or a hospital gown or a sheet.”
How heavy is a coffin with a body in it?
Pallbearers will have to carry the casket with the body inside, so they will have to transport the body’s weight and the coffin. 370 to 400 pounds is the final weight that pallbearers will carry if the casket is standard sized, 200 pounds heavy, whereas the adult body is 200 pounds (male) or 170 pounds (female).
Should immediate family be pallbearers?
Pallbearers are usually close family members and friends . Siblings, adult children, grown grandchildren, nieces and nephews, close friends, and colleagues are all common choices for pallbearers. However, anyone can serve as a pallbearer.
How hard is it to be a pallbearer?
Selecting who you would like to serve as the pallbearers is never an easy task. Even more difficult can be asking those people to do the job. Regardless, the pallbearer is a job that must be done, and most people will accept the role if they are asked. Typically, there will be six to eight pallbearers needed.
How many pallbearers do you need to carry a casket?
Traditionally, there are six pallbearers at a funeral, as there are usually six handles on a casket (three on each side), though there are often two handles on the front and back sides of a casket, allowing for eight pallbearers. Pallbearers are usually close family members and friends.
What happens if you don’t have pallbearers?
There are times when you may not have selected pallbearers, or the individuals you would like to serve in this capacity are unable to make it to the funeral or are physically unable to bear the weight of the casket.
Can you have 9 pallbearers?
Both men and women can be pallbearers , and many people often choose either family members or close friends of the deceased to carry the coffin. Traditionally, there are four to six pallbearers at a funeral, depending on the weight of the coffin. ... The weight of the coffin will also need to be considered.
Does the body feel pain during cremation?
When someone dies, they don’t feel things anymore, so they don’t feel any pain at all .” If they ask what cremation means, you can explain that they are put in a very warm room where their body is turned into soft ashes—and again, emphasize that it is a peaceful, painless process.
Why is it called a pallbearer?
A pall is a heavy cloth that is draped over a coffin. Thus the term pallbearer is used to signify someone who “bears” the coffin which the pall covers . In Roman times, a soldier wore a cape or cloak called the pallium.
What should a female pallbearer wear?
Women should wear dark conservative clothes , which can be a modest dress, or pants or skirt suit set. Women should not wear high heels but opt for dark shoes with a flat or low heel as you will need to carry the coffin for some distance.
