Death rituals in modern society

The advent of death prompts a series of events leading to the disposal of the body and any period of mourning thereafter, and these rituals differ among societies. The differences in death rituals tend to signify different cultural blueprints of actions and behaviours passed down through generations that everybody learns while growing up as members of society. In this column, I intend to briefly outline some anthropological perspectives on death rituals, explain why rituals were and continue to be important and conclude by highlighting the de-ritualisation of these events.