Every person’s life is unique. That is why every funeral is an important event in our lives. A funeral is a solemn and, of course, an important part of the visitation of the deceased. Funeral plays an important role as the expression of grief that inevitably accompanies the death of a person.

Seeing the last journey may look different. Based on the beliefs of the deceased himself and considering his wishes, you can choose one of two main methods of burial: burial in the ground and cremation.

Burial in the ground is traditional in Estonia. The deceased is interred in a coffin, which, after a memorial service or funeral service, is buried in a cemetery. In the case of a funeral with burial in the ground, visitation of the deceased may take place over an open or closed coffin. In accordance with the wishes of the deceased and his family, the ceremony is held in a church, chapel, cemetery, or other place.

In funerals with an urn, cremation takes place earlier, and the ceremony takes place when the urn is buried. The relatives of the deceased may choose to bury the urn in a cemetery, scatter the ashes over the sea or field, or keep the urn at home.
The ceremony can be a civil memorial service or a funeral service, i.e., follow Christian customs. It is possible to order a grave fence.

The difference between a funeral with cremation and a funeral with burial in the ground is that in the first case, after the ceremony, the body of the deceased is cremated. In most cases, the ceremony takes place like a funeral with burial in the ground, when the visitation of the deceased takes place at the coffin in a church, chapel, or another place, but then the body of the deceased is sent for cremation.

The civil service is conducted by the master of ceremonies. It is also possible to hold a civil memorial service in the chapel, on the grave or in another place, in accordance with the wishes of the deceased and his relatives.

The funeral is conducted by a priest. As a rule, only members of the parish and baptized people receive the last rites. There may be exceptions, but each such wish is considered by the church separately. The funeral service may take place in a church, chapel, cemetery or elsewhere.