The Funeral.com Journal

Resources to help you create tributes as unique as the people (and pets) you love. Learn how engraving, photos, colors, and symbols add meaning; discover scattering rituals and at-home memorial ideas. We focus on the details that matter—because small choices can carry a lifetime of comfort.

Sky Burials Explained: Understanding the Tibetan Tradition and Why It’s Rare Elsewhere

Sky Burials Explained: Understanding the Tibetan Tradition and Why It’s Rare Elsewhere

The first time most people hear the phrase sky burial, it can land with a mix of curiosity and discomfort. That reaction is understandable—especially if you were raised around cemeteries,...

Open-Air Funeral Pyres: Where They’re Allowed, How Permits Work, and Cultural Context (2026)

Open-Air Funeral Pyres: Where They’re Allowed, How Permits Work, and Cultural Context (2026)

Sometimes a family’s questions arrive quietly, almost like they’re testing whether it’s “okay” to ask. Someone will say they’ve seen an open-air cremation in a documentary, or they’ve attended a...

Traditional Funeral in the U.S.: What Happens, Typical Order of Service & Etiquette

Traditional Funeral in the U.S.: What Happens, Typical Order of Service & Etiquette

When you’re grieving, “tradition” can feel like the only solid thing in a week that suddenly has no ground under it. A traditional funeral service gives families a familiar structure:...

Modern Funeral Dress Code: Is It OK to Wear Color (and How to Do It Respectfully)

Modern Funeral Dress Code: Is It OK to Wear Color (and How to Do It Respectfully)

If you’re standing in front of your closet before a service, you’re probably not thinking about fashion. You’re thinking about respect. You’re thinking about not making a hard day harder....

Japanese Buddhist Funerals: What Happens, Why They’re Common, and Key Rituals Explained

Japanese Buddhist Funerals: What Happens, Why They’re Common, and Key Rituals Explained

Many families first learn about a japanese buddhist funeral in a moment of hurry and heartbreak: a phone call, a flight, a message from a relative saying the wake is...

Mormon Funeral Traditions: What to Expect at a Latter-day Saint Service (and What Not to Send) - Funeral.com, Inc.

Mormon Funeral Traditions: What to Expect at a Latter-day Saint Service (and What Not to Send)

You pull into the church parking lot and pause for a second before you open the door. Maybe you’re coming to support a friend. Maybe you’re family and you’re running...

Catholic Funeral Mass Explained: Rosary, Vigil, Funeral Liturgy, and Graveside Customs - Funeral.com, Inc.

Catholic Funeral Mass Explained: Rosary, Vigil, Funeral Liturgy, and Graveside Customs

Most families don’t arrive at a Catholic funeral already fluent in the rhythm of the prayers. They arrive tired, tender, and trying to do right by someone they love. If...

Buddhist Mourning Rituals: How Tibetan, Thai, and Japanese Traditions Honor the Dead - Funeral.com, Inc.

Buddhist Mourning Rituals: How Tibetan, Thai, and Japanese Traditions Honor the Dead

In many Buddhist families, the first days after a death feel both structured and unreal. Someone calls the temple. Someone finds a photo for the altar. A quiet room becomes...

Afterlife Beliefs Around the World: How Faith and Culture Shape Funeral Rituals - Funeral.com, Inc.

Afterlife Beliefs Around the World: How Faith and Culture Shape Funeral Rituals

After a death, families often find themselves making decisions that feel both deeply emotional and surprisingly practical. Do we hold a service right away or later? Do we bury, cremate,...

Attending a Funeral at a Mosque: Janazah Etiquette for Non-Muslim Guests - Funeral.com, Inc.

Attending a Funeral at a Mosque: Janazah Etiquette for Non-Muslim Guests

You don’t have to be Muslim to be invited to a Muslim funeral. You just have to be someone who mattered to the person who died, or someone who matters...

Bird Symbolism Across Cultures: Myths, Superstitions, and Spiritual Meanings - Funeral.com, Inc.

Bird Symbolism Across Cultures: Myths, Superstitions, and Spiritual Meanings

When someone you love dies, the world has a way of feeling both too quiet and too loud at the same time. Ordinary things—light through a window, a familiar song,...

10 Common U.S. Funeral Traditions Explained (What to Expect and Why) - Funeral.com, Inc.

10 Common U.S. Funeral Traditions Explained (What to Expect and Why)

If you haven’t attended a funeral in a while, it’s normal to feel unsure. Grief changes the way time feels, and it also changes the way social rules land. You...

What Does It Mean When a Bird Flies Into Your House? Folklore, Spiritual Views & Safety Tips - Funeral.com, Inc.

What Does It Mean When a Bird Flies Into Your House? Folklore, Spiritual Views & Safety Tips

It usually happens in a moment that already feels loaded. You’re making coffee. You’re standing at the sink. You’ve been thinking about someone you miss, or you’ve been trying to...

Bird Spiritual Meanings: 7 Common Birds and What They Symbolize - Funeral.com, Inc.

Bird Spiritual Meanings: 7 Common Birds and What They Symbolize

When someone you love dies, the world keeps moving, but your attention changes. A bird on a fence, a shadow crossing the driveway, a call outside the window—suddenly it feels...

Bird Symbolism in Grief: Spiritual Meanings and Why Birds Feel Like “Signs” - Funeral.com, Inc.

Bird Symbolism in Grief: Spiritual Meanings and Why Birds Feel Like “Signs”

In the days after a loss, the world can feel both too loud and strangely quiet. You might be trying to keep up with phone calls, paperwork, meals you don’t...

Small Funeral vs Large Service: How to Decide What’s Right for Your Family - Funeral.com, Inc.

Small Funeral vs Large Service: How to Decide What’s Right for Your Family

When a death happens, many families assume there’s a single “correct” kind of service—until they realize they’re trying to solve two different problems at once. You’re trying to honor a...