Southern Funeral Traditions

Posted on July 1, 2019 by Lifesong Funerals under funeral home
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With funerals at funeral homes in Tallahassee, FL, many time-honored traditions that are only found in the South will be on full display. It’s important to understand that in the South, people don’t die. Instead, they pass on, cross over, or go on. Funerals are, in essence, a reflection of the belief that the separation between those who are grieving and those who’ve passed on is simply a temporary state until they all meet in heaven.

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One Southern funeral tradition is the respect shown to funeral processions. As mourners follow the hearse from the funeral home to the cemetery with flags on their cars and headlights on, their fellow motorists who encounter them pull off on the side of the road to show their respect to the deceased and to the mourners. As people from other parts of the country have moved South, this tradition is not adhered to as much in large cities as it is in smaller cities and rural areas. But it should be something that we hold on to because it has deep meaning in the funeral process.

What you wear to a funeral is a big deal in the South. Women use to have funeral dresses – no self-respecting Southern lady would dream of wearing pants to a funeral service back in the day – in muted colors, such as navy, black, or dark brown that they wore only to funeral services. Optional accessories would be gloves and an understated hat. Funeral dress has gotten so casual that you often wonder if some people are headed to the bowling alley after they leave the service. Business casual is probably the happy compromise that won’t leave all the genteel ladies in the room sitting there is aghast.

Another Southern funeral tradition is the viewing. As you enter the funeral chapel, up front is a casket, opened, with the dearly departed inside, dressed up, coiffed, and looking as though they are merely taking a nap. While this may seem odd to people from other parts of the country, this is important piece of the funeral, because it gives you one last chance to see your loved one and to tell them, face-to-face, goodbye.

Food is everywhere in Southern funerals. As soon as friends, family, and neighbors hear that someone has died, everybody gets in the kitchen and makes their casserole or dessert – lots of desserts – to take over to the bereaved family’s home. And the food train continues even after the funeral when someone hosts a funeral reception. It may be a potluck at the deceased’s church or a potluck at a family member’s home, but the important thing is that, in the South food equals love, so the more food the more love.

Another Southern funeral tradition is what we do after the funeral. When everybody gets together, we tell stories about our loved ones that have crossed over. We talk about them because it keeps them with us all the time and it keeps their memories alive for as long as we keep telling their story. That’s a great legacy for the future generations of Southerners, and it’s a tradition we should never let slip away.

If you want to learn more Southern funeral traditions at funeral homes in Tallahassee, FL, our compassionate and experienced staff at Lifesong Funerals & Cremations can help. You can come by our funeral home at 20 S. Duval St., Quincy, FL 32351, or you can contact us today at (850) 627-1111.

Lifesong Funerals

We have nearly twenty years serving families of all backgrounds. These families turn to us in their time of need because they are aware that we are leaders in our vocation, have the highest level of integrity and are committed to providing quality service.

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