Category: Saying Goodbye

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Jewish Funeral Customs

— 20 Things You Should Know

Jewish funeral customs have been shaped by centuries of religious tradition and cultural practices. These customs are designed to show respect for the deceased and provide comfort to the grieving family.

If you have been invited to a Jewish funeral or wish to offer support to a Jewish friend in mourning, it is essential to familiarize yourself with these customs.

In this blog post, we will cover 20 things you should know about Jewish funeral customs.

Sympathy Flowers

While Christian funerals generally include many flowers to send for sympathy, this is generally not done at Jewish funerals, it is appropriate to send a donation to a designated charity or plant a tree in Israel in memory of the deceased.

However, if you know that the family appreciates sympathy flowers, sending a simple and modest arrangement is acceptable.

Immediate Burial

In the Jewish tradition, the deceased should ideally be buried as soon as possible, usually within 24 hours of death. This is done to honor the body and show respect for the soul.

No Embalming Or Cremation

Jewish law prohibits embalming and cremation, as they are seen as disrespectful to the body. The body is considered sacred and should be returned to the earth in a natural state.

Tahara

The deceased’s body is prepared for burial through a ritual cleansing called tahara. This process is performed by a group of trained individuals called the chevra kadisha. The body is washed, purified and dressed in simple white shrouds called tachrichim.

Simple Wooden Casket

A traditional Jewish burial involves a plain wooden casket with no metal parts. The simplicity of the casket reflects the belief in the equality of all people in death.

Shemira

Shemira is the practice of watching over the deceased from the time of death until burial. A family member or designated individual, known as a shomer, stays with the body to recite prayers and psalms.

Funeral Service

The Jewish funeral service called a levaya, is usually brief and simple. It includes prayers, the recitation of psalms, and eulogies. The service takes place at a synagogue, funeral home or graveside.

Procession To The Cemetery

After the funeral service, there is a procession to the cemetery. Mourners follow the hearse on foot for a short distance to show their respect and honor the deceased.

Kriah

During the funeral, mourners perform the kriah, a ritual tearing of one’s clothing. This symbolizes the tearing of the heart and the depth of griefhttps://southfloridareporter.com/jewish-funeral-customs-20-things-you-should-know/ experienced by the mourners.

Burial

At the cemetery, the casket is lowered into the ground, and mourners participate in the mitzvah of burial by shoveling earth onto the casket. This act is a final gesture of love and respect for the deceased.

Shiva

Shiva is the initial seven-day mourning period observed by the immediate family. Mourners stay at home, refrain from work and social activities, and receive visitors who come to offer comfort and support.

Offering Condolences

When offering condolences to a Jewish mourner, it is customary to say “HaMakom yenachem etchem b’toch she’ar avelei Tzion v’Yerushalayim” which means “May God comfort you among the other mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.”

Meal Of Consolation

Following the burial, the family returns home to share a meal of consolation, called the seudat havra’ah. This meal typically includes round foods, such as eggs or lentils, which symbolize the cycle of life and the hope for continuity.

Uncovering The Mirrors

Covering mirrors during the shiva period is a Jewish tradition to symbolize the mourning process. At the end of shiva, it is customary to uncover the mirrors to signify the return to normal life.

This act is a reminder that while the deceased may be gone, life must continue. It also serves as a reminder that life is cyclical, and after periods of sadness, there will be times of joy and happiness.

Sheloshim

Sheloshim is a thirty-day mourning period observed by close family members after the death of a loved one. During this time, mourners refrain from attending social events and other festivities.

This period allows the mourners to focus on the grieving process and honor the memory of the deceased. Sheloshim provides an opportunity for mourners to reflect on the life of the deceased and to begin to find a way forward without them.

Yahrzeit

Yahrzeit is the anniversary of the death of a loved one, observed by lighting a yahrzeit candle and reciting the Kaddish prayer. The candle is lit for twenty-four hours and symbolizes the light that the deceased brought into the world during their lifetime.

Yahrzeit is an important time for family and friends to come together to remember and honor the life of the deceased. It is an opportunity to reflect on the memories shared and the impact they had on others.

Kaddish

The kaddish is a prayer recited by mourners during the funeral service and for the first year after the death. It is also recited on the yahrzeit and other occasions to honor the deceased. Kaddish is a powerful prayer that speaks to the hope and faith of the Jewish people. It is a reminder that life is cyclical and that after periods of sorrow, there will be times of joy and happiness. Kaddish provides comfort and solace to the mourners and helps them find peace during a difficult time.

Unveiling Ceremony

The unveiling ceremony, which takes place approximately one year after the death, involves the unveiling of the headstone at the cemetery. Family and friends gather to remember and honor the deceased.

Honoring The Deceased

Jewish funeral customs place a strong emphasis on honoring the deceased and showing respect for their life. This includes speaking about the deceased in positive terms and refraining from discussing any negative aspects of their life.

Comforting The Mourners

Above all, Jewish funeral customs are designed to provide comfort and support to the mourners. Whether it’s through the practice of shemira, the sharing of memories, or the offering of condolences, the focus is on helping the bereaved find peace and solace during a difficult time.

Jewish funeral customs have been shaped by centuries of tradition and reflect the importance of honoring the deceased and comforting the bereaved. Understanding these customs is essential when attending a Jewish funeral or offering support to a Jewish friend in mourning.

While sympathy flowers are not generally sent to Jewish funerals, other meaningful gestures, such as a donation to charity or a tree planting, can show your love and support. By familiarizing yourself with these customs and offering compassion and kindness, you can help ease the pain of those who have lost a loved one.

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The dying tradition of the funeral cortege

— Is there still a place in our increasingly fast-paced world for solemn, intimate customs like this one?

Hundreds of St. John’s residents participated in the funeral procession of Gerald J. Whitty and William King, local veterans of the First World War, after they were killed by a speeding car in Donovans in September 1924.

By Ainsley Hawthorn

It’s a tale of two funerals.

Spring 2018, Corner Brook, N.L.: As we leave my grandmother’s funeral, other drivers yield to our procession, even stopping on a green light to let us through so we aren’t separated. We reach the cemetery together to bear the casket into a receiving chapel for a final farewell.

Spring 2023, St. John’s: Leaving my cousins’ grandmother’s funeral, the hearse is immediately cut off from mourners by a courier van barrelling down the quiet side street. Despite our blinking emergency lights, the procession is interrupted by car after car, and we ultimately arrive at the cemetery by ones and twos, as though we had travelled separately.

The funeral cortege is a dying tradition, especially in larger centres where traffic is heavier and there’s a higher proportion of young drivers unfamiliar with the tradition of yielding to them.

Critics say we’d be better off without processions, which delay transit and occasionally even lead to accidents. Is there still a place for solemn, intimate customs like this one in our increasingly fast-paced and impersonal society?

Funeral processions have existed throughout recorded history. They emerged independently in many different parts of the world, for purely practical reasons.

An Egyptian painting of a funeral procession.
An Egyptian widow weeps beside her husband’s coffin, kohl eyeliner running down her cheeks, while male relatives and colleagues follow behind the funeral sledge.

When a person dies, their remains must be transported from the location of their death to a place where their body can be prepared, then onward to their final resting place. Sometimes there’s a stop at a ceremonial space like a church or a temple along the way.

Since death is a social event — one that engages family, friends and community in commemorating the loss — it’s natural that the people who gather to honour the deceased should also accompany the corpse on its last journey.

A 4,000-year-old lament from Mesopotamia describes a king’s funeral. Weeping soldiers escorted his body to its grave, where his donkeys and chariot were buried with him to carry him the rest of the way to the netherworld.

Upper-class Egyptian funeral corteges included family members, priests, servants and sometimes musicians or professional mourners. The Tale of Sinuhe (ca. 1900-1700 BC) vividly depicts the trip to the tomb from the corpse’s perspective (translation by Roland Enmarch):

“A funeral procession will be made for you on the day of joining the earth with a mummy case of gold, a mask of lapis lazuli, a heaven over you, and you placed in a hearse, with oxen dragging you, and singers before you.”

An ordinary person might not have a golden casket, but in most places they would have the dignity of some sort of procession. Their body might be carried on the shoulders of loved ones or pulled to the gravesite on a wheeled bier followed by neighbours and friends on foot.

An engraving of people in a long line in a field, both leading and following a coffin being carried aloft by a few people.
Ojibwe mourners bear a community member, along with food and personal belongings, to a burial scaffold. Engraving after B. Picart, 1723.

In rural communities, the distance from the deceased’s home to a cremation site or burial ground was usually short, but larger centres often required cemeteries to be located outside city limits for sanitary reasons or to preserve space for housing, making them difficult to reach on foot.

As a result, motor vehicles were incorporated into funeral processions almost as soon as they became widely available.

In 1908, the first car affordable to the middle class, the Ford Model T, was brought to market in the United States, and the first gas-powered “auto hearses” were introduced just a year later.

As car ownership became more and more common over the course of the 20th century, vehicular processions became the norm for funerals in many parts of the world, giving rise to new etiquette.

Participants in the cortege would drive slowly to mimic the sombre pace of a funeral march, and other drivers would usually give them the right of way.

These courtesies, however, weren’t always enshrined in law.

A pastoral picture of people winding their way beside trees and houses.
Eighteenth-century Chinese wallpaper shows a funeral procession led by musicians.

Most provinces and territories allow cars in corteges to travel closer together than other vehicles, but only five — Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Yukon — actually prohibit other drivers from cutting in.

As for running red lights and stop signs, that’s allowed only under certain circumstances in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Yukon, while P.E.I. is the lone province with a law requiring other drivers to slow down when approaching a cortege.

While they may have little legal protection, funeral processions can have a big emotional impact.

I had never given much thought to funeral processions until I was in one and found it comforting to see other drivers slow down or stop. After all, when someone we love dies, doesn’t it feel like the world should stop, if only for a moment?

Those brief gestures of respect not only communicate sympathy and mutual support, they acknowledge that the deceased was part of the fabric of the community. Drivers might not know who’s in the casket but may nonetheless feel the gap they leave behind — the regular customer who no longer pops into their coffee shop, the neighbour who no longer pets their dog, the receptionist who no longer answers their call.

In a culture where we’re more and more insulated from death, it’s also an opportunity for drivers to reflect on their own mortality. It’s a memento mori, a reminder that we and our loved ones will soon be making that final journey ourselves and that we should live our lives with the knowledge they will not last forever.

Diverse, urban societies are bound by few common rituals. The funeral procession cuts across cultural and religious lines and allows us to recognize our common humanity.

Isn’t that worth a moment’s pause?

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4 tips for saying goodbye to someone you love

By ,

Isabel Stenzel Byrnes has spent her entire life practicing goodbyes.

Byrnes, a grief counselor and patient advocate, and her identical twin sister, Anabel Stenzel, were both born with cystic fibrosis, a progressive disease that damages the lungs, pancreas and other organs. It’s a condition that significantly reduced their life expectancy and meant many hospital visits.

But the illness also gave the sisters and best friends a unique perspective. “We both were afraid of death, but we also shared a joint passion for life, knowing that our time could be limited,” says Byrnes. “We knew from an early age that one of us would die first, and we actually practiced that.”

Readying themselves for that final goodbye was a big part of their shared existence – whether that meant making separate friends or entertaining different interests. And yet, when Anabel died in 2013 from cancer, Isabel’s grief loomed large.

Isabel Stenzel Byrnes (left) and her identical twin sister Anabel (Ana) Stenzel at a film screening of their film “The Power of Two” taken in 2011. Ana died of cancer in 2013 when Isa was a hospice grief counselor.

“The complete separation of someone as close as my twin was very difficult,” she says, “but I pursued things that made me feel closer to her, and I also strengthened my relationships with friends and family, and that really helped me dig myself out of the hole of grief.”

Now, through her work, Byrnes helps others with the hardships that can come with saying goodbye to loved ones for good.

She shared some advice with Life Kit on the art of thoughtfully saying goodbye – be it a, “See ya later,” a final farewell or one of the many shades of parting in between.

“Recognize the role” of the person you’re parting from

If you want a goodbye to be impactful, offer more than just a generic “Good luck on your future endeavors” or “Thanks for the memories!” Byrnes says no matter how weak or strong a relationship, any goodbye is more meaningful when you take the time to “articulate the value” of that person.

Were they your most trusted colleague? A reliable neighbor? The friend you could always count on for a laugh? Be open and specific about how someone has impacted you, and thank them for the role they played in your life.

Embrace your emotions, then let them go

When processing the grief of separation, Byrnes says it’s important not to judge your emotions. “Saying goodbye naturally evokes really intense emotions,” she says – and that’s OK. If you’re feeling big feelings, that might speak to “the enormity of the loss and the love that [you’ve] experienced.”

Allow those feelings to come — and also, to go. “Because none of us can cry 24/7,” she says.

“We cry, we let it out, and then somehow we end up maybe even talking and laughing. That’s all part of the process.” And then, over time, she says, work to let go of emotions that cost you energy or no longer serve you – things like guilt, anger or envy. Work to remember that person with more love than pain.

Practice goodbye rituals

Not everyone gets the luxury of saying goodbye face-to-face, or in real-time or at all. But Byrnes says saying goodbye is also an internal and symbolic process. Even if you can’t speak directly to the person you’re saying goodbye to, it’s still important to recognize and honor how that person made an impression on you.

Light a candle, write a letter, add an artifact to your ancestral altar or spend a solitary afternoon on the beach. Choose for yourself what ritual best serves you, and then make the time to commemorate that relationship.

Saying goodbye well takes practice

A well-crafted goodbye takes time and care – that’s not always easy. Byrnes says to keep trying anyway. “Authentic, intimate conversation can sometimes be very awkward if you haven’t done that before,” she says. “But really living in the awkwardness, feeling uncomfortable, but doing it anyway is what helps us grow as human beings.”

Though often uncomfortable or difficult, getting familiar with farewells can serve a powerful purpose.

“The other side of the coin of saying goodbye is learning how to love stronger and harder, knowing that a goodbye can come at some point in time.”

Complete Article ↪HERE↩!

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Water Cremation

— What It Is and How It Could Reduce the Environmental Impact of Funerals

Water cremation may offer a more sustainable approach for the funeral sector

By Valentina Morando

As society becomes more environmentally conscious, the funeral sector is under increasing pressure to adopt sustainable practices.

On July 3, Co-op Funeralcare, a leading funeral service provider in the UK, announced that it will be the first company in the country to offer Resomation, also known as water cremation.

This innovative approach could be a more sustainable alternative to burial or gas cremation, which currently account for 20% and 80% of funerals in the UK, respectively, according to Co-op.

“With much of the research having been undertaken overseas to date, there is a strong evidence base to suggest that Resomation may be a more sustainable option than Gas Cremation,” Co-op writes in their press release announcing the new offer. “This is something which the Co-op and providers of Resomation will be working in conjunction with sustainability experts and academia to further validate and understand through an initial pilot.”

Water cremation would also be the first alternative to burial or cremation in the UK since 1902.

“For decades there have been just two main choices when it comes to their end-of-life arrangements: burial and cremation. By starting to make Resomation available in the UK, Co-op will be providing people with another option for how they leave this world because this natural process uses water, not fire, making it gentler on the body and kinder on the environment,” Resomation service Kindly Earth Director Julian Atkinson said.

According to a YouGov poll conducted on behalf of Co-op, 89% of adults in the UK adults had not heard of Resomation. However, once it was explained to them, 29% said they would choose Resomation for their funeral. Meanwhile, 17% of adult respondents who had organized a funeral in the last five years said they would have considered Resomation if it had been an option.

Do you know what Resomation is?
29% of UK adults said they would choose Resomation for their own funeral if it was available ⬇
Find out more here: https://t.co/uwcKWtxsfQ https://t.co/rvGdGXCvrr
— Co-op Funeralcare (@CoopFuneralcare) July 3, 2023

How it works

Water cremation, scientifically known as alkaline hydrolysis or resomation, is a process that dissolves the human body through the use of water, heat, and alkaline chemicals.

As the Co-op press release specifies, “each cycle takes approximately four hours. At the end of the cycle, the soft bones which are left are dried, then reduced to a white powder, similar to ash.” The ash is then “returned to relatives in a sustainable urn.”

Water vs traditional cremation

One of the key advantages of water cremation, according to Resomation, the pioneering company for water cremation in the UK, is its significantly reduced carbon footprint compared to traditional cremation.

As the organization writes, water cremation “has been independently shown to have the lowest and indeed little environmental impact at all compared to burial and flame cremation.”

This reduction is achieved through the decrease in fuel consumption associated with the combustion process, making water cremation a more sustainable choice.

Moreover, water cremation also addresses concerns related to mercury emissions, which have been associated with traditional cremation methods.

Dental amalgams (a dental filling material), which contain mercury, are often present in human remains, and during the incineration process these mercury emissions can contribute to air pollution. With water cremation, the mercury can be captured and safely recycled, further reducing the environmental impact of cremation.

Not entirely new

While Co-op Funeralcare will be the first funeral service provider in the UK to offer water cremation, the practice is not entirely new. It has been gaining traction in other countries, such as Canada, many American states, and South Africa, where it is already legal and widely used.

Water-based disposal has garnered significant attention worldwide, and one prominent advocate of this approach was Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the late anti-apartheid campaigner.

His adoption of water-based disposal has brought increased visibility to the practice.

“We have seen interest in water-based disposal build in many countries, with Archbishop Desmond Tutu being the most high-profile person to recently use this method,” said Professor Douglas Davies from Durham University. “The reduced carbon footprint that may come with Resomation compared with other forms of body disposal, means it will no doubt be of interest to many people as the practice is increasingly made available in the UK.”

As water cremation gains momentum and acceptance worldwide, it holds the potential to become a more environmentally conscious alternative to gas cremation or, as Co-op put it, “to revolutionize the way we say goodbye to loved ones.”

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A Closer Look at the Ceremonies and Traditions of Buddhist Funeral Service

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When delving into the realm of funeral services, it becomes evident that the factors of perplexity and burstiness play a significant role in shaping the narrative and experience. Within the context of Buddhism, a unique approach emerges, characterized by a harmonious blend of complexity and variation. In this article, we embark on a journey through the intricacies of Buddhist funeral services, unraveling the distinct elements that make them truly exceptional.

Introduction to the Unique World of Buddhist Funeral Services

A Buddhist funeral service stands as a remarkable testament to honoring and commemorating the life of a departed loved one. Rooted in the profound principles of Buddhism, it weaves together solace and closure for those who embrace this philosophical path. The essence lies not only in bidding farewell but also in facilitating the departed’s transition to a new existence, while extending support and solace to family and friends. Brace yourself as we embark on an enlightening exploration of what unfolds during a Buddhist funeral services, replete with intriguing aspects that set it apart from other funerary rites.

Unraveling the Tapestry of a Buddhist Funeral Service

Buddhism, with its profound history spanning centuries, encompasses both life and death within its embrace. Consequently, it is no surprise that Buddhist funeral services occupy a pivotal role in the process of mourning, honoring the deceased, and offering solace to those in attendance.

The commencement of a Buddhist funeral ceremony often finds its roots in the enchanting chants emanating from sacred Buddhist scriptures. These mellifluous melodies intertwine with prayers, creating an ethereal ambiance of remembrance. Moreover, the ceremony may include the recitation of sutras, skillfully rendered by learned monks or devoted family members. The atmosphere is further enriched by the fragrant offerings of incense and flowers, as well as heartfelt eulogies delivered by kin or close confidants. Remarkably, depending on tradition, one may even encounter moments of serene meditation or other spiritual practices that infuse the service with an aura of profound contemplation.

Central to the fabric of a Buddhist funeral service is the paramount objective of assisting those present in embracing the concept of mortality and finding inner peace within its embrace. In the realm of Buddhism, death is not feared but rather acknowledged as an integral part of life’s cyclical nature. Thus, these solemn moments serve as an opportunity for friends and family to reflect on the impact of loss and to share treasured memories of the departed.

As the ceremony unfolds, the offering of food takes center stage, symbolizing the departed spirit’s passage into an alternate realm. These gestures of culinary homage vary in accordance with local customs, each carrying its own significance and depth of meaning.

Discovering the Meaningful Essence of a Buddhist Funeral Service

In the tapestry of existence, a Buddhist funeral service emerges as a poignant and meaningful tribute to those who have embarked on their final journey. Rooted in compassion and embracing the transient nature of life, this sacred rite serves as a conduit for honoring the spiritual odyssey of the departed while providing solace for those left behind.

At the heart of any Buddhist funeral service lies the mesmerizing art of chanting. Through the recitation of prayers and mantras, a profound reverence for the departed is awakened. Whether performed by family members or revered monks, these sacred utterances transport the mind into a realm where the fragility and vitality of life intertwine.

Equally significant is the act of honoring the deceased through symbolic offerings. Flowers, incense sticks, and favored fruits or food items find their place before an image or statue representing the three jewels of Buddhism: Buddha Shakyamuni, his teachings (Dharma), and the monastic community (Sangha).

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240,000 years ago

— Discovery of oldest known burial site

Scientists believe that burial practices and funeral rites were reserved for humans with brains and large brains compared to other species, so have scientists been able to find any burial practices other than humans that undermine this idea?

By Nadia Barnett

In a cave in South Africa, scientists have discovered ancient burials dug by a small-brained species known as “Homo Naledi” – 100,000 years earlier than the earliest known burials of “Homo Sapiens”, disrupting the story. According to the “Washington Post” newspaper, scientific research on the theory of evolution is subjecting scientists to fierce debate.The Washington Post)

A team exploring the “Rising Star” cave northwest of Johannesburg said they found limestone walls inscribed with triangles, squares and intersecting lines. years ago.

These results were announced Press conference It was hosted by Stony Brook University in the US on the fifth of June, it appeared Two sheets Two Flags Both first editions are published in bioRxiv.

Both studies are still under scientific review before being published in the journal eLife.

These results are very exciting, and in 2021 it was Old A known burial site dating back 78,000 years belongs to a human child.

These results come after many years discovery The species, which scientists call “Homo naledi,” is characterized by its short stature (about 1.5 meters in length) and its small size, including a brain that weighs about one-third the size of a modern human. Contains both very old and relatively modern anatomical features.

Voluntary Funerals

The skeletal remains were discovered during archaeological excavations that began in 2018, and most of the skeletons found by scientists in one part of the cave date from 335,000 to 241,000 years ago, which is modern times. Humans began to appear in Africa.

Scientists found these graves in burial pits at the end of a tangle of narrow galleries, and the graves were filled with earth, which was originally used to make the pits, indicating that the bodies of these men were buried voluntarily.

However, these results caused controversy among scientists after they were announced, as their opinions differed sharply on the evidence proving that “Homo Naledi” buried his dead, and some scholars pointed out that there is no evidence that these inscriptions are thousands of years old. Old, step to inform Published by National Geographic.

The controversy reflects the degree of tension that our understanding of ancient history and new scientific discoveries periodically monitor, and if the results of the last two studies are correct, it could undermine the practice of burial. The preservation of our species, “Homo sapiens”.

Controversy

And Lee Berger, a paleoanthropologist and head of the research team, said, “People have always wondered about their position in finding another culture as complex as our own human culture … Well, we’re facing one of these now, and it’s a huge moment in human history.”

The findings open the door to the possibility of cremation among hominins with smaller brains and lower intelligence, scientists say.

This idea counters the prevailing view that awareness of death in general, and funerary rituals in particular, are uniquely human, and that these burial practices are a relatively recent thing, known to mankind over 100,000 years ago.

In a statement published by the “Science Alert” website – says Berger.scientific warning)– “We are going to tell the world that this is not true,” he concludes, “and that the symbols carved into the stones also indicate that humans were not the only ones who developed these practices.”

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Honoring the Body Donors Who Are a Medical Student’s ‘First Patient’

— Gratitude ceremonies give students and faculty members a chance to recognize the sacrifice of those who gave their bodies for medical research and education, and the loved ones they left behind.

Nivedita Ravi and Ryan Cohen, students at Columbia University’s medical school, performed in April at a gratitude ceremony honoring people who had donated their bodies to be studied in the school’s anatomy lab.

By April Rubin

A solemn gathering at Columbia University last month had the trappings of a traditional memorial service. Students and faculty members performed music and gave speeches. The university’s chaplain closed the ceremony with a reflection.

But there was one key difference: No one in the room had ever met the people whose lives were being honored. The attendees were all students and faculty members at Columbia’s medical school, and they were gathered to show gratitude for the people who had donated their bodies for the students to study in the anatomy lab.

“Who were they before?” said Bree Zhang, a first-year dental student. “A parent, a child, a co-worker, a friend? What books did they read? How is their family doing now, and do they know how much their loved one has given me and the rest of us?”

Similar scenes played out across the country this spring as medical, dental and physical therapy students assembled to offer tributes to whole-body donors and their families. At the ceremonies, students perform music, light candles, read letters and share art. (A heart diagram from Ms. Zhang’s anatomy studies, overlaid with her whimsical drawings of books, tree roots and human figures, was projected behind her as she spoke at Columbia.) A nondenominational spiritual leader often plays a role. Sometimes a tree designation or an offering of flowers to a donor’s family is included.

A portrait of a woman in a double-breasted maroon coat sitting in a seat in an auditorium.
Bree Zhang, a first-year dental student at Columbia, spoke at the ceremony and shared artwork inspired by her experience in the anatomy lab.

It is not clear how many people in the United States donate their bodies for medical research and education, though estimates suggest that about 20,000 people or their families do so each year. Criteria vary by program and by state; generally anyone over 18 can become a donor, though people with certain transmissible diseases, such as hepatitis B or C, tuberculosis, H.I.V. or AIDS, are typically excluded. Many programs also exclude bodies that have been autopsied or have had organs removed for donation.

Even with the introduction of elaborate 3-D visualization software, dissection remains a cornerstone of a medical education for most first-year students, as it has for centuries. Students spend months methodically studying the structures of the body, including organs, tendons, veins and tissue. The experience teaches more than the foundations of medicine. Treating the donor, who is viewed as a doctor’s first patient, with respect and care gives students a grounding in ethics and professionalism, said Joy Balta, the chair of the American Association for Anatomy’s human body donation committee.

Recognizing a sacrifice

Body donation is a selfless act by the donors, as well as by their families, who can wait as long as a couple of years to receive the ashes. The memorials, often called ceremonies of appreciation or gratitude, recognize the sacrifice.

“You’re able to think about the donor that you’ve been working with,” said Dr. Balta, who is also the director of the Anatomy Learning Institute at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. “These are people,” he added, “that donated their bodies, that wanted you to work with them to improve science and health care.”

The Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia began hosting a donor gratitude ceremony in the late 1970s as a way of marking an experience that “is very difficult for some students and really transformative,” said Paulette Bernd, who runs the school’s clinical gross anatomy course.

Three women in medical scrubs and protective aprons consult a textbook while examining a cadaver on a gurney in a laboratory.
Georgetown University medical students, from left, Justine Mann, Lauren Bierman and Jacqueline Antonishek, with a donor body in an anatomy lab in 2011.

Relatives of the donors are invited to the events at some schools. At others, the ceremonies are only for students and faculty members, an extension of the anonymity that is provided to the donors in the lab. At Brown University, for instance, only a donor’s age, cause of death, marital status and occupation are shared with students, and the donor’s hands and faces are covered for much of the process.

“The bodies go through this whole process of being de-identified,” said Nidhi Bhaskar, a first-year medical student who helped coordinate a gratitude ceremony at Brown this month. “And this is a really great way to re-humanize them. We take into account the very real gift they left, and the family members who are still processing their loss.”

The anatomy lab can be a fraught experience for medical students, for whom “it may be their first experience where they’re dealing with death and dying,” said Dr. Daniel Topping, a clinical associate professor in the department of anatomy and cell biology at the University of Florida College of Medicine.

Abby Carey-Ewend, a second-year student at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, remembers being incredibly nervous about it.

“But when I started it,” she said, “I realized that it was really a phenomenal opportunity to be able to work with three other students and one donor, and to really learn the intricacies of the human body from something beyond a textbook or videos.”

Ms. Carey-Ewend helped plan the appreciation ceremony for her medical program, which was held in April. A priority, she said, was acquainting family members of the donors with the campus community and the students their loved ones had helped educate.

‘I knew she was helping somebody.’

Among the guests at the ceremony at Washington University was Regina Dunn. When her mother, Louise Dunn, died in July at 90, she was too distraught to plan a funeral. The donor remembrance was Louise Dunn’s first memorial service, she said.

“They just made you feel so comfortable,” Regina Dunn said of the students. “And a lot of people wanted that closure.”

Louise Dunn, who opened a modeling school for women of color in St. Louis in 1960, was driven throughout her life by a desire to help people, her daughter said. So it was not surprising that she wanted to continue to help others after her death, Ms. Dunn said, even if some of her survivors had to overcome a degree of apprehension over her decision to donate her body to science.

A close-up image shows a row of people dressed in white holding white flowers by the stem.
Medical students paying their respects to body donors at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China, in 2018.

Regina Dunn said that a Black student told a friend who accompanied her to the ceremony that having a Black donor in the lab, when most donors are white, had a profound impact.

“I felt honored, I really did,” Ms. Dunn said, “because I knew she was helping somebody.”

For the family of Michael Haas, who donated his body to the Indiana University School of Medicine, a gratitude ceremony last month was a full-circle moment in several ways.

It was held on April 16, four days before the anniversary of Mr. Haas’s death, his wife, Molly Haas, said. The ceremony was held on the university’s campus in Bloomington, Ind., where the couple were engaged in 1970. The families received white and red carnations; Ms. Haas recalled that her husband always bought her red carnations.

Both decided to donate their bodies in 2012, around the time that the symptoms of Mr. Haas’s Alzheimer’s disease began to show. For Mr. Haas, a former social worker and Episcopal priest, becoming a whole-body donor was a way of extending a lifelong mission of service, his wife said.

“His values, his ethics were always very generous,” Ms. Haas said.

‘A great sense of gratitude’

The appreciation ceremonies are typically planned by students, but they also give the faculty members who run the anatomy labs a way of processing their relationships with the people who donate their bodies for medical education.

“I feel a great sense of gratitude and responsibility and honor every time I’m around a donor,” said Dr. Topping, of the University of Florida. “It’s a very sacred thing for me.”

When the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra University, on Long Island, made its gratitude ceremony a virtual event during the coronavirus pandemic, it allowed donor relatives from across the country and around the world to participate, said Robert Hill, an associate professor. In 2020, relatives of one donor logged on from India, he said.

A man standing behind a music stand performs a piece on the violin to an audience in an academic auditorium.
The Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia has been hosting donor gratitude ceremonies since the 1970s, said Paulette Bernd, who runs the school’s clinical gross anatomy course.

Nirusha Lachman, the chair of the department of clinical anatomy at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, attended her first gratitude ceremony about 40 years ago when she was a student in South Africa, and she has since spoken at several.

The gatherings, she said, serve to drive home the point that donors live on through the education that their bodies have provided.

“You want this to resonate, even with the families,” Dr. Lachman said, “that death was not the end for their loved ones.”

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