Funeral pyre
When someone dies, sometimes their loved ones choose to have a special ceremony called a funeral. A funeral pyre is a special kind of funeral that has been done for thousands of years in many different cultures all over the world.
Basically, a funeral pyre is like a big bonfire that is made out of wood and other materials, where the body of the person who died is placed. The body is wrapped in special clothes or blankets and put on top of the wood before the fire is started.
The fire is meant to represent something called "purification," or making things clean and pure. The people who started this tradition believed that putting the body in the fire would help the person's soul or spirit go to a special afterlife or resting place.
During the ceremony, people might say prayers or sing songs to remember the person who died and to ask for their safe passage to whatever comes after. The fire can be very hot and bright, and it might make a lot of smoke and ashes.
Once the fire is done, people will usually collect the ashes and make sure they are put somewhere respectful, like in an urn, buried or scattered somewhere meaningful. This is so that the person's memory can live on, even though they are not with us anymore.
Basically, a funeral pyre is like a big bonfire that is made out of wood and other materials, where the body of the person who died is placed. The body is wrapped in special clothes or blankets and put on top of the wood before the fire is started.
The fire is meant to represent something called "purification," or making things clean and pure. The people who started this tradition believed that putting the body in the fire would help the person's soul or spirit go to a special afterlife or resting place.
During the ceremony, people might say prayers or sing songs to remember the person who died and to ask for their safe passage to whatever comes after. The fire can be very hot and bright, and it might make a lot of smoke and ashes.
Once the fire is done, people will usually collect the ashes and make sure they are put somewhere respectful, like in an urn, buried or scattered somewhere meaningful. This is so that the person's memory can live on, even though they are not with us anymore.