Going to a funeral

A man and a woman wearing black clothes reading a leaflet with someones photo on it

What is a funeral?

A funeral is when people get together to talk about and remember someone who has died.

Two women are looking at each other and smiling. They are clinking their drinks together

It can also be a time to celebrate the persons' life.

A woman lying in a coffin with the lid half open

The body of the person who has died is usually at the funeral in a coffin.

A coffin is sometimes called a casket. It is a special box that people are put into after they die.

A gravestone next to a coffin and a flame and an urn next to another coffin

A funeral ends with a burial or a cremation.

A coffin next to some soil which is being dug into by a spade

What is a burial?

Some people ask to be buried when they die.

Being buried is when their body, which is in a coffin, is lowered into the ground and covered with soil.

The place where they are buried is called a grave.

A gravestone with RIP engraved on it. RIP means Rest In Peace

A few months after the burial, the grave usually gets a headstone to show where the person is buried.

A headstone is a piece of stone which has the person's name on it.

What is a cremation?

Some people choose to be cremated after they die rather than being buried.

Being cremated is when their body, which is in a coffin, is put into a very hot fire.

A man is handing an urn to another man and his daughter

The hot fire turns the body and coffin into ashes. Ashes look like dust.

The persons ashes are usually put in an urn and given to a relative. An urn is a type of jar.

A man with friends and relatives holding an urn beside a tree

After the cremation, family and friends sometimes decide to open the urn and scatter the persons ashes over a place that was special to them.

A man and a woman are sitting at a table having a hot drink and a cake. The man is crying and thinking about someone who has died

Going to a funeral

Going to a funeral helps some people with their grief because they can say goodbye to the person who has died, and share their memories and feelings with other people.

Grief is all the feelings you get when someone you care about dies.

You can find more information about grief by visiting our How to feel better after someone you care about dies Easy Read .

A man is looking through a photo album with a friend

Some people are not comfortable going to a funeral and that's OK.

Instead of going you can remember the person in your own way, in your own time by talking about your memories with other people, or looking through videos and photographs.

A woman kneeling next to a grave and putting flowers next to the gravestone

If someone has been cremated or buried, you can visit their grave or where their ashes have been scattered, anytime after the funeral.

A woman wearing a telephone headset with a speech bubble showing a sign post to support, help and advice

If you would like further information and advice about going to a funeral you can contact Mencap's Learning Disability Helpline.