State funeral

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The coffin of John Curtin, Prime Minister of Australia from 1941 to 1945, lying in state inside King's Hall, Old Parliament House, Canberra, on July 6, 1945 JCurtin lay in state.jpg
The coffin of John Curtin, Prime Minister of Australia from 1941 to 1945, lying in state inside King's Hall, Old Parliament House, Canberra, on July 6, 1945

A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements of military tradition. Generally, state funerals are held in order to involve the general public in a national day of mourning after the family of the deceased gives consent. A state funeral will often generate mass publicity from both national and global media outlets.

Contents

History

State funerals already existed in antiquity. In ancient Athens, for example, fallen soldiers were regularly buried in a public ceremony. [1] In the Roman Empire, a state funeral (funera publica) could be instructed by the senate for the city of Rome, whereas city councils could instruct a communal state funeral. [2]

By country

Czech Republic

Canada

These paragraphs are an excerpt from State funerals in Canada.[ edit ]

State funerals in Canada are public events held to commemorate former governors general, prime ministers, other members of the cabinet who died in office, and, at the cabinet's discretion, other eminent Canadians. With ceremonial, military, and religious elements incorporated, state funerals are offered and executed by the governor general-in-council, who provides a dignified manner for the Canadian people to mourn a national public figure. Provincial and territorial governments may also perform state funerals for citizens in their particular jurisdictions. However, most state funerals are federal affairs.

As Canada shares the person of its monarch with the other Commonwealth realms, funerals for Canada's sovereigns, as well as for their consorts, typically take place in the monarch's oldest and most populous realm, the United Kingdom. In Canada, a commemoration service is conducted by the federal crown-in-council and sometimes by provincial crowns, as well.

Finland

A state funeral of President Martti Ahtisaari on 10 November 2023 Presidentti Ahtisaaren valtiolliset hautajaiset 10.11.2023 (53322424121).jpg
A state funeral of President Martti Ahtisaari on 10 November 2023

In Finland, state funerals continue only for Finnish presidents. In exceptional cases, the Finnish Government may grant or finance a funeral for a very long-serving prime minister, speaker of the parliament, and persons of special national importance. This practice has been in force in Finland since 1989. [3]

India

On 17 November 2012, Bal Thackeray was accorded a state funeral in the city of Mumbai. On 10 October 2024, businessman Ratan Tata was given a state funeral in Mumbai. [4] Former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh was given a State funeral on 28 December 2024. [5]

Italy

In Italy, state funerals are granted by law to the current and former Presidents of the constitutional entities, such as the Presidency, Parliament, the Government, and the Constitutional Court, as well as to Ministers who die while in office. State funerals can also be granted by decree of the Council of Ministers to individuals who provided exceptional service to the country, citizens who brought honor to the nation, or those who died in the line of duty or as victims of terrorism or organized crime. [6]

The official protocol provides for: [6]

Public mourning, either national or local, is declared following the provisions of the Prime Minister's decrees. The flags are flown at half-mast outside public buildings, while inside they display two black ribbons, with the exceptions provided for military flags when required by military protocol. [6]

If the departed held a public office, the body can lie in state in the building of the office's institution. In other cases, the will of the family, the traditions of the office, or the local customs are followed. [6]

Outside the cases provided for by protocol, for example during natural events that deeply impact the community, solemn funerals can be arranged and the six people who carry the coffins are members of the Civil Protection. [6]

Thailand

Thai royal funerals are elaborate events, organised as royal ceremonies akin to state funerals. They are held for deceased members of the royal family, and consist of numerous rituals which typically span several months to over a year. Featuring a mixture of Buddhist and animist beliefs, as well as Hindu symbolism, these rituals include the initial rites that take place after death, a lengthy period of lying-in-state, during which Buddhist ceremonies take place, and a final cremation ceremony. For the highest-ranking royalty, the cremation ceremonies are grand public spectacles, featuring the pageantry of large funeral processions and ornate purpose-built funeral pyres or temporary crematoria known as merumat or men . The practices date to at least the 17th century, during the time of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. Today, the cremation ceremonies are held in the royal field of Sanam Luang in the historic centre of Bangkok.

United Kingdom

These paragraphs are an excerpt from State funerals in the United Kingdom.[ edit ]

In the United Kingdom, state funerals are usually reserved for monarchs. The most recent was the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on 19 September 2022. [7]

A state funeral may also be held to honour a highly distinguished figure following the approval of the monarch and Parliament (of the expenditure of public funds). [8] The last non-royal state funeral in the United Kingdom was that of Sir Winston Churchill on 30 January 1965. [9]

Other funerals, including those of senior members of the British royal family and high-ranking public figures, may share many of the characteristics of a state funeral without being categorised as such; for these, the term "ceremonial funeral" is used. In the past fifty years, ceremonial funerals have been held for Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (1979); Diana, Princess of Wales (1997); Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (2002); Margaret Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (2013); [8] and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (2021). Ceremonial funerals have tended in general to follow the ritual patterns of a state funeral (if on a somewhat smaller scale).

A gun carriage has been used to transport the coffin between locations since Queen Victoria's funeral (1901); it is also accompanied by a procession of military bands and detachments along with mourners and other officials. There may also be a lying in state and other associated ceremonies. [10]

United States

These paragraphs are an excerpt from State funerals in the United States.[ edit ]
In the United States, state funerals are the official funerary rites conducted by the federal government in the nation's capital, Washington, D.C., that are offered to a sitting or former president, a president-elect, high government officials and other civilians who have rendered distinguished service to the nation. [11] [12] Administered by the Military District of Washington (MDW), a command unit of the Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region, state funerals are greatly influenced by protocol, steeped in tradition, and rich in history. However, the overall planning as well as the decision to hold a state funeral, is largely determined by the family of the honoree, upon invitation by the government. [13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Wienand, Johannes (2023). Der politische Tod. Gefallenenbestattung und "Epitaphios Logos" im demokratischen Athen [The political death. The burial of the fallen and the ‘Epitaphios Logos’ in democratic Athens]. Historia Einzelschriften, vol. 272. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner, ISBN   978-3-515-13389-0, doi : 10.25162/9783515133906.
  2. ↑ Wesch-Klein, Gabriele (1993). Funus publicum. Eine Studie zur öffentlichen Beisetzung und Gewährung von Ehrengräbern in Rom und den Westprovinzen [Funus publicum. A study on public burial and the granting of graves of honour in Rome and the western provinces]. Heidelberger Althistorische Beiträge und Epigraphische Studien, vol. 14. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner, ISBN   3-515-06363-3.
  3. ↑ "State funerals". Finnish Government . Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  4. ↑ Fraser, Simon (10 October 2024). "India holds state funeral for tycoon Ratan Tata". BBC News. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  5. ↑ "Manmohan Singh: Former India PM mourned in state funeral". BBC News. 2024-12-28. Retrieved 2025-03-12.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Protocol for State Funerals and National Mourning". Official website of the Italian Government - Department of State Ceremonies.
  7. ↑ Kirsty.Oram (2022-09-17). "The Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II". The Royal Family. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
  8. 1 2 "House of Commons briefing paper, 2013" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-06-09.
  9. ↑ Croft, Rodney J. (2014). Churchill's Final Farewell: The State and Private Funeral of Sir Winston Churchill. Croft Publishing.[ page needed ]
  10. ↑ Bland, Olivia (1986). The Royal Way of Death. London: Constable.
  11. ↑ APPENDIX A-3-TABLE OF ENTITLEMENT, 1965. United States Army. Archived from the original on December 13, 2007.
  12. ↑ "State Funeral Traditions". United States Army. Archived from the original on 2011-09-06.
  13. ↑ "Arlington's Ceremonial Horses and Funerals at the White House" (PDF). White House Historical Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-06-26.

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