[QUOTE=Eva Luna]
I never saw the point in funeral processions until the first time I drove in one(my grandfather’s). In an unfamiliar town in New Jersey, in the middle of winter, after having driven straight through from Chicago with basically zero help from my sister, who had suddenly “lost her night vision.” I could barely see over the dashboard, I was so tired, and it was very helpful to just be able to follow the person in front of me to the cemetery.
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Directions. A printed-out Mapquest map. And a driver who’s not so tired she shouldn’t be driving, anyway. I mean, one funeral should not result in others!
[QUOTE=Sampiro]
I now officially want a five mile long conga line for my funeral procession. (It’s really the least you can do for the concubines who are going to be immolating themselves on my byre- give them one last hoo-rah.)
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You’re going to have a cow-barn set on fire for your funeral? :eek:
Egads! Are our lives that short that we can’t pause 5 or 10 minutes to allow a procession to pass by us? If you’re upset at having to wait for one, consider how lucky you are to not be the guest of honor among those holding you up.
There are some practical reasons to keep the system. As mentioned before, not everyone knows the way. And if you allow them to all find their own way, some may not arrive for the graveside service in time. How does one know when the last guest has arrived unless you keep them in line? Not to mention, some cemetaries are huge. Finding a site in a cemetary can be quite difficult unless you know where you’re going.
[QUOTE=BobLibDem]
Egads! Are our lives that short that we can’t pause 5 or 10 minutes to allow a procession to pass by us? If you’re upset at having to wait for one, consider how lucky you are to not be the guest of honor among those holding you up.
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Did you not listen to anything I said? It’s dangerous, and leads to people being hit by cars, and cars being run off the road or at least whacked into (lawsuits gave led to laws, which are generally ignored). It has nothing to do with “ooh, I hate to wait a few minutes.” In this day of horseless carriages and traffic lights, it is no longer safe or feasible. I’m an old-fashioned girl, certainly, but running red lights is simply not a good idea.
I seem to have one every damn week, being so close to funeral homes and cemetaries, and I frequently see people skid to a halt at traffic lights, nearly plowing into the processions. Of course, none of these funerals have police escorts or flags on the cars, and you can’t see if their lights are on in daylight (these are also major streets they take–there are no back roads?).
It’s not that I hate grieving people . . . It’s just that I can’t see this still beng a viable tradition in the 21st century. People have been run over or into, which is why so many states have laws regarding this–which are invariably ignored.
[QUOTE=spingears]
In times past the funeral service was held in the AM or PM daylight hours with procession to place of burial and a short graveside farewell service!
A few years back visitation was in the evening with the funeral service, procession and burial the next day.
Recently the visitation is something like 6 - 8:00 PM followed by the funeral.
Everything is setup at graveside the following day for immediate family and close friends to arrive at the appointed time.
Pallbearers carry the casket to the grave, a short service, and all depart.
Saves time and gas for all involved.
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What group are you talking about? All the funerals I’ve been to have been Jewish. The one when I was 7 was the same as the one last year. Short ceremony in synagogue (often one built on cemetery grounds) followed by a funeral procession to the graveside. After a short service, the coffin is lowered and we all throw dirt on it. Then, we go back to somebody’s house, wash our hands outside, and eat deli platter.
Eve I live near a cemetery and all the processions I’ve seen have used cards in the windshield. I agree a flag on the hood would be better. I don’t see how the custom is inherently unsafe. People are violating a law (no flags etc) designed to make it safe. Enforce the law.
[QUOTE=DocCathode] Eve I live near a cemetery and all the processions I’ve seen have used cards in the windshield. I agree a flag on the hood would be better. I don’t see how the custom is inherently unsafe. People are violating a law (no flags etc) designed to make it safe. Enforce the law.
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The funeral homes in my town use flags, but they’re these faded purple things which aren’t very visable.
How about tying black ribbons to trees and lamp posts along the way in case members of the procession get lost?
Wouldn’t it make more sense to educate and enforce? Enforce flags on cars (the last few processions I’ve been in, the funeral home had magnetic flags for everyone). Then educate the general population as to what it means, and enforce waiting for procession to pass.
Even in a perfect world, people shouldn’t be mindlessly crossing intersections without watching the traffic around them. Add “funeral processions” to the list of other things you always watch for (dogs, kids on bikes, people opening car doors, idiots…) If someone had to skid to a stop to avoid the procession, just what the heck were they watching? It’s not like the hearse is speeding on it’s way through the intersection.
[QUOTE=Tastes of Chocolate]
If someone had to skid to a stop to avoid the procession, just what the heck were they watching? It’s not like the hearse is speeding on it’s way through the intersection.
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They were probably watching the light turn green and figuring the car heading toward the intersection was going to stop, as there was no reason to think otherwise. (If you didn’t see the hearse, eight or nine cars ahead, why would you think the car was going to run a red light?)
[QUOTE=Lissa]
How about tying black ribbons to trees and lamp posts along the way in case members of the procession get lost?
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How about having signs erected at suitable points along main roads, indicating the direction to particular common destinations, including cemetaries? They could be placed on dedicated posts, and for want of a more creative title we could call them ‘post-signs’.
Seriously - my nearby big town (130k) has clear signage to the cemetery, including a separate new expansion on the far side of a main road.
This is odd. I don’t think I’ve seen a funeral procession once up here. I guess I am usually at work but still. I see hearses going to and from the hospital but not the whoe procession shebang.
Yes. But then again, it’s big enough to also have its own zoning and signage once you get into the actual cemetery. How many would you expect in a town/city of similar size?
Sorry, shame one’s friend/boss/employee/relative/civil servant et al died, such is life or death for that matter. But one’s antiquated beliefs in funerals and burying the remains can be celebrated and mourned while not impeding on the lives of others. I say remove any exemptions that these processions have and return them to regular civilian traffic status.
One more observation from a non-American perspective…despite having no right-of-way and obeying all traffic rules, our funeral processions still manage to keep mostly in convoy, and certainly there’s no problems with people missing the funeral because they’re still driving around the bypass. So either (a) these aren’t valid reasons to keep the rules, or (b) Americans are very different
[QUOTE=GorillaMan]
Yes. But then again, it’s big enough to also have its own zoning and signage once you get into the actual cemetery.
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OTTOMH So are the two big Jewish cemeteries in Philly. There are sign posts, two lane roads etc inside the cemetery and only for the purpose of getting to different grave areas. Mourners receive maps of the layout so that they can find the graves.
I have no idea how many cemeteries are in Philly. I do know that the primary reason there are so many is the division into faiths and other groups. While today an Italian American wouldn’t care if they were buried next to an Irish American, I expect the objections of Baptists being buried next to Catholics, or Orthodox Jews next Reform etc would mean numerous smaller cemeteries even if a single, large one is more practical.
Hmm. Certainly, most large cemeteries here have separate areas for Jews and Muslims, and I presume there’s ways of catering for other faiths, too.
I’m not aware of any huge problems about Christian denominations using cemeteries - and it’d be a bit of a cheek, given that these were built because they’d filled all their churchyards! There’d certainly be no truck with the ‘not wanting to be buried alongside an XYZ’ attitude.
