Plan a Living Funeral

For thousands of years, funerals have been one of the most important rituals humans take part in. It’s a chance for us to grieve and mourn the loss of our loved ones. It gives us time to appreciate their life and what they meant to us who remain. They are powerful events — solemn, but filled with hope. Whether you hold a certain faith or simply wish to bid a loved one farewell, funerals are our final goodbye to our loved ones.

Why More People Are Choosing Living Funerals

For some people, funerals don’t have to wait for the end. A growing number of people are celebrating a life well-lived with a living funeral. These events are similar to funeral ceremonies or celebrations of life, but are held prior to an individual’s death. 

It may seem counterintuitive to celebrate a person’s life before they are actually gone, but there are several reasons why someone may want to have a living funeral. Typically, the events are planned for, or by, people who:

• Have been diagnosed with a terminal illness
• Have Alzheimer’s Disease or another form of dementia
• Are older but still alert and oriented
• Want to participate in their own life’s narrative

These events can take many forms, including: a party, a family gathering, a dinner, or a community event, or resemble a traditional funeral or memorial, depending on the person’s preferences. 

The question remains, however: Why would anyone want to put on their own funeral? At first glance, the idea might seem morbid and strange, but for those who have put on their own pre-funeral, they describe it as a celebration of life. 

A living funeral offers an opportunity to do a number of things: 

1. Shows Appreciation of Others 

For individuals knowing they’re going to die soon, living funerals give them the option to express their final words to their loved ones before they become more sick, and/or less able to share those sentiments with them.

2. Gives Control and Personalization

They may also want their memory to be within their own control. Planning one’s own funeral allows a level of personalization that isn’t possible after a person’s death. For a living funeral, the event doesn’t need to have the frills and ceremony of a traditional funeral. Individuals can serve their favorite foods, host it at a meaningful place, and have a day of celebration rather than mourning.

3. Lifts the Responsibility Off Family and Friends

Funerals are not cheap. Some individuals may want to fund a prepaid cremation and plan their own living funeral to share the responsibility of planning and paying for a funeral with their family. Living funerals can be more informal, making the expense of the event more flexible. After the individual’s passing, the family may be inclined to have a smaller, and possibly more affordable, funeral, since a living funeral had already taken place.

4. Opens Opportunity to Say Goodbye with Celebration

Hosting a pre-funeral can feel overwhelming. It takes a lot of courage to face your mortality. These events can range from something more subtle and intimate to a full-blown party in celebration of their life, but either way, remember to be gracious and sensitive in their presence. It’s a sad event to say goodbye, and just because a living funeral is held in celebration, grieving is still part of the process. Living funerals are a way for many to cope with their own death. It helps individuals see loved ones they may not have seen in a while, find peace among family and friends, and also gives them an opportunity to express appreciation. 

Living Funerals in Other Cultures

Among different cultural traditions surrounding death and dying, in Japan, a relatively recent trend among elderly individuals is the practice of seizenso. This event is akin to a living funeral, where the dying individual plans their own funeral. After the event and after passing, they expect nothing of their families after they die.

How to Plan Your Own Living Funeral

The idea of hosting your own living funeral may be daunting, but with a few tips below, we hope we can make the process easier. Hosting a live funeral is similar to arranging a memorial or celebration of life, or simply a party or gathering. Like any event, it is just a matter of deciding who will come, where it will be, and what will take place. See our questions below to get started.

Who Will You Invite?

Think a bit about how big you want the event to be. It can be as small as a gathering between a few family and friends, or as large as an open invitation. Depending on your comfort level, a smaller event might be more manageable in size and affordability. A smaller crowd may also allow you to have more personal interactions with your guests. For those with a larger family or more community involvement, a bigger event may be more appropriate. If you are active in a church, synagogue, mosque, or other religious or community group, you can ask to have your event listed in the group’s announcements. You can choose whether to advertise your event on your social media channels, with paper invitations, or by word of mouth.

Where to Hold Your Living Funeral

Depending on how many people you invite, you will need to arrange a location that works for everyone. Choose an area that fits your crowd, possibly somewhere that reflects a part of your interests or personality. Some locations could include: a local park or garden, a restaurant, a community center, or your home.

How Will You Celebrate? 

Because this event is all about you and your life, customize the event to suit your interests. The living funeral should reflect parts of your personality, hobbies, and pastimes you want remembered. You can choose the music, cater your favorite foods, host performers, and decorate it with your favorite flowers. Whether you decide on an extravagant affair or something simpler, remember that a living funeral is meant to be a shared time between you and your loved ones. Your celebration can be anything you want it to be. 

Who Will Serve as Speakers?

Traditional funeral services typically include a number of eulogies, brief speeches in memory of a loved one. At a living funeral, it’s up to you whether or not you want to have speakers or not. For some individuals, they would rather speak one-on-one with their loved ones, rather than having a speech addressed to them. 

Plan Ahead with Tulip

If you or a loved one are making final arrangements, Tulip Cremation offers a number of different prepaid cremation plans. If you are interested in learning more or arranging something today, contact our 24/7 Family Care Team at (844) 942-4909 or arrange online.