What is a funeral repast?
A Repast is a gathering that takes place after the funeral. All the mourners gather for a post-funeral reception. A post-funeral reception allows people to join one another in celebrating the person’s life who has passed away.
The term “repast” literally translates to “meal,” although now the word is mainly associated with funerals.” In multiple cultures, sharing a meal is a symbol of healing. Apart from that, when friends and family gather to share food, memories and stories are also shared. Therefore, a meal or a funeral repast can be crucial in the grieving process.
Places where you can host a Funeral Repast
There is no strict rule on where you can host a funeral repast. Since repasts tend to begin after the funeral service, people tend to host them in funeral homes, churches, or community halls. Although in recent years, people tend to host the funeral repast at their family home or restaurants. The family home and restaurants provide a more informal tone to the entire event. This often helps people feel more comfortable and at ease from a funeral service’s grim and bleak setting.
What happens at a Funeral Repast?
As we mentioned earlier, the main aim of the funeral repast is to provide comfort to one another, celebrate the life of the deceased, and provide condolences to the family.
What happens at a funeral repast depends entirely on the family and their traditions and wishes. Every family grieves and heals differently.
If you cannot attend the funeral repast, you can also write a condolence letter to the grieving family. (link how to write a condolence note)
Benefits of a Funeral Repast
To offer Condolences-
When someone attends a funeral and a funeral repast, their goal is to offer their condolences to the grieving family. Everyone deals with loss differently, and having people around can help people feel comforted. Being alone with your thoughts after a loved one has passed away can do more harm than good—guests who come to the funeral repast help the bereaved family mourn and heal.
To Celebrate life
People often forget to celebrate their lives when they are alive. Do we celebrate our lives enough when we are alive? No. Our accomplishment, our hard work, our relations and memories with people, all of it deserves a celebration. Many people believe that even if they die, tears shouldn’t be a way to remember them. This sentiment gave rise to the concept of celebration of life. (link to what is a celebration of life) When we picture a funeral or someone passing away, we often imagine a bleak image filled with tears and sorrow. A Funeral Repast allows us to celebrate the deceased’s life by sharing stories recalling shared experiences and memories. The informal setting helps people talk to other relatives and friends and family members, remember them and learn more about them.
We cannot measure the “benefit” of a funeral repast. We cannot assign a specific value, but it helps people bond. People tend to forget that we are social beings at the end of the day. Community helps us go through difficult periods in our lives. The community can be family, friends, neighbors, or even relatives, but we need each other during difficult times.
Cost of a funeral Repast
The cost of a funeral repast depends entirely on the family. The Family can decide the budget for the event and determine the arrangements accordingly.
Location, food, and maybe decoration are some of the basic requirements for the repast. How much you spend on the repast depends on the family’s decision, as there are no strict rules that the family needs to follow.
The location can be community halls, churches, or funeral homes. If you are hosting the funeral there, you might as well add the repast to avoid booking another location.
Another expense is the food. Although having an intimate gathering, homemade food can reduce costs. But if you are hosting many people, booking a caterer would be an efficient idea.
Decorations are usually minimal during these events. Most of the space is occupied with the pictures of the deceased. Flowers are a nice touch to add during this event.
You might not be familiar with a funeral repast, but it is an integral part of the funeral process. A lot of love and support can be passed on to the grieving family by just your presence.
