Tilaisuuden kulku ja pituus riippuu kuulemma p\u00e4\u00e4asiassa siit\u00e4 mihin uskontokuntaan vainaja kuului. T\u00e4ss\u00e4 siunaustilaisuudessa oli sekoitettu sek\u00e4 katolista ett\u00e4 anglikaanisen Englannin kirkon (Church of England)<\/strong><\/span> perinnett\u00e4 ja se noudatteli hyvin pitk\u00e4lti samaa Suomesta tuttua evankelisluterilaista kaavaa. Virsi\u00e4 tosin laulettiin v\u00e4hemm\u00e4n, mutta kuultiin katkelma raamatusta ja tunnustettiin uskontoa, l\u00e4hiomainen luki runon. Ja sit\u00e4 rataa. Vihkivett\u00e4 pirskoteltiin arkulle ja raamattu asetettiin arkun p\u00e4\u00e4lle. N\u00e4m\u00e4 olivat ehk\u00e4 eniten suomalaisesta siunauksesta eroavat kohdat. Siunaustilaisuus kesti noin puolisen tuntia ja sen p\u00e4\u00e4tteeksi arkun eteen liukuivat verhot ja arkku siirtyi\u00a0verhon takana krematorion puolelle tuhkausta odottamaan.<\/p>\n Kappelin puutarhassa edellisten siunaustilaisuuksien kukat n\u00e4ht\u00e4vill\u00e4.<\/strong><\/span> Siunauksen j\u00e4lkeen saattov\u00e4ki siirtyi tien toisella puolella olevaan pubiin virvokkeille. T\u00e4m\u00e4 saattaa kuulostaa suomalaisesta oudolta perinteelt\u00e4, mutta ymm\u00e4rt\u00e4\u00e4kseen t\u00e4ytyy tiet\u00e4\u00e4 millaisia englantilaiset pubit ovat. Suomalainen pubi ja englantilainen pubi eroavat toisistaan aika paljon. Suomalaisen pubin ollessa p\u00e4\u00e4asiassa tehty k\u00e4nn\u00e4\u00e4miseen, englantilaisessa pubissa (paikasta riippuen toki)<\/strong><\/span> voi nauttia lounasta, p\u00e4iv\u00e4llist\u00e4, kahvia, ja toki my\u00f6s olutta ja muita alkoholijuomia. Englantilainen pubi onkin enemm\u00e4n ruokaravintolan ja pubin risteytys. Englantilaisissa hautajaisissa l\u00e4mmin ruoka ei ole mik\u00e4\u00e4n ehdoton vaatimus, t\u00e4ll\u00e4 kertaa meille olikin varattu suolaista v\u00e4lipalaa, kahvia ja skonsseja. Suolapala koostui mm. englantilaisista kolmiovoileivist\u00e4 erilaisilla t\u00e4ytteill\u00e4, pekoni-juustopiirakasta, perunakroketeista ja perunalastuista.\u00a0Skonssit ovat er\u00e4\u00e4nlaisia englantilaisia pullia jotka nautitaan yleens\u00e4 mansikkahillon ja hyytyneen kerman kanssa (clotted cream)<\/strong><\/span>. Hyytynyt kerma kuulostaa hieman \u00e4ll\u00f6lt\u00e4, mutta skonssien p\u00e4\u00e4ll\u00e4 hillon kera se on oikein hyv\u00e4\u00e4. V\u00e4h\u00e4n kuin kermavaahdon tiiviimp\u00e4\u00e4 versiota. T\u00e4m\u00e4n j\u00e4lkeen hautajaiset olivatkin sitten ohi.<\/p>\n Siunaus- ja kahvitilaisuudesta minulla ei ole valokuvia. Kukaan ei ottanut valokuvia ja is\u00e4nn\u00e4n mukaan se ei oikein ole Englannissa tapana. \u00a0Niinp\u00e4 min\u00e4k\u00e4\u00e4n en uskaltanut ottaa itse tilaisuudessa yht\u00e4\u00e4n kuvaa, ulkopuolisena en halunnut aiheuttaa pahennusta niin tunneherk\u00e4ll\u00e4\u00a0hetkell\u00e4. Sen sijaan otin muutaman kuvan kappelin ulkopuolella muistopuutarhassa. Pubissa virvokkeita nauttiessamme sattui hassu juttu. Er\u00e4s hautajaisissa mukana ollut rouva tuli viereeni kun valitsin voileipi\u00e4 tarjottimelta ja kehui kampaustani oikein tyylikk\u00e4\u00e4ksi. Kiitin tietysti kohteliaisuudesta. Kun h\u00e4n ja miehens\u00e4 olivat l\u00e4hd\u00f6ss\u00e4 kotiin virvokkeiden j\u00e4lkeen, h\u00e4n halusi ehdottomasti halata minua ja kertoi ett\u00e4 aikoo j\u00e4rjest\u00e4\u00e4 itselleen samanlaisen kampauksen. H\u00e4nen miehens\u00e4 hymyili hyv\u00e4ksyv\u00e4sti ja ny\u00f6kk\u00e4si k\u00e4velless\u00e4\u00e4n ohitseni. Kyseess\u00e4 olivat minulle siis t\u00e4ysin tuntemattomat henkil\u00f6t, eik\u00e4 vainajan sisaruksetkaan oikein tuntuneet tiet\u00e4v\u00e4n keit\u00e4 he olivat. Kaikenlaista sit\u00e4 sattuukin.<\/p>\n \u00a0 Me and hubby made a quick trip to England week ago, in not so nice atmosphere. Hubby’s big sister passed away quite suddenly, even though she was already about 70 years old. So we had to travel for funeral. I have never been in funeral outside my home country, so I didn’t know what to expect. Even though I’m not particularly religious person, I was taking part on the memorial service with interest. I don’t know if any of you is interested in this, but I write about it because I find these little cultural differences between Finland and England quite interesting.<\/p>\n While in England funerals are nowadays mostly done in the little chapel by the\u00a0crematorium, here in Finland they are still most often done in actual church. Also in Finland every single family taking part in the memorial service, brings flowers for the service, but apparently that is not as mandatory in english service. Also flower arrangements in various shapes seem to be popular in England, like shape of a cross or a name or so. In Finland we just don’t do shapes. Don’t know why really, perhaps it’s not in fashion. Biggest difference between these two countries is the burial itself, in Finland we still mostly dig the graves, lower the coffin there after the service and then lay the flowers ontop. We also read out loud the little poems from the cards by the coffin, either in the church or at the graveyard. That’s apparently something the English don’t do.<\/p>\n In England most common thing is to use the crematorium where flowers are left outside for the service. In the chapel the coffin is placed on a pedestal and when the service is over, curtains close around it and coffin moves behind the curtains to the other side of the wall, waiting to be cremated. This particular service itself was combination of Catholic and\u00a0Anglican traditions and like that it was quite similar compared to the finnish one: poem read by close relative, some religious songs, prayers, acknowledging\u00a0of your faith and so on. Sprinkling the holy water on the coffin is not done in Finnish funerals, we just pour some sand on the coffin (earth to earth, dust to dust)<\/strong><\/span>. Ceremony took about half an hour, pretty much the same than in Finland, although the reading of the cards can make it longer, depending on how many people is taking part on the funeral.<\/p>\n Muistolaattoja tuhkatuille vainajille. N\u00e4it\u00e4 oli eri puolilla krematorion l\u00e4hipuutarhaa.<\/strong><\/span> After the ceremony we moved to the pub on the other side of the road. To a Finn it sounds funny to go to a pub after funeral, but that’s just because finnish pubs are very different to english. In Finland pubs are just for boozing. There usually isn’t lunch or other meals available there, just alcohol. In Finland the memorial after the funeral is usually held in local parish hall or other similar venue with warm meal and desert coffee. It also includes reading the condolence cards before or after the meal and perhaps some\u00a0speeches. So going for coffee and sandwiches after funeral into a pub seems\u00a0a bit odd to us. However the sandwiches, quiche, coffee and scones with clotted cream and jam were very nice, I enjoyed them very much. For your information, we don’t have clotted cream here in Finland. We don’t even know what it is (except I do, after tasting it first time in England several years ago, quite nice)<\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n In Finland it is almost mandatory to take photos in funerals, but in this funeral no-one took photos, so I didn’t dare to take any either. Apparently it’s not that common in England. I didn’t want to upset the family on the sensitive moment so I just took couple photos outside in the memorial garden instead. And funny thing happened in the pub afterwards. I was choosing my sandwiches by the tray when a woman walked next to me and said that I had very lovely hairdo. I thanked on the compliment, of course. When she and her husband were leaving she insisted on hugging me and said she was going to try and get similar hairdo for herself. The husband was smiling and nodding to me when he walked by. I don’t know who they were and neither do my hubby or his other sister.<\/p>\n![\"memorial1\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.evildressmaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/memorial1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nKuvan keskell\u00e4 n\u00e4kyy muotoiltuja kukkalaitteita. \/<\/strong><\/span>
\nIn the Chapel Garden the flowers from previous funerals.<\/strong><\/span><\/em>
\nIn the middle are the shaped flower arrangements.<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\nLis\u00e4ksi muistolehdosta voi hankkia paikan kukkaistutuksia ja uurnaa varten. \/<\/strong><\/span>
\nMemorial plaques for cremated. There were similar walls like this around the garden.<\/strong><\/span><\/em>
\nIt’s also possible to get small area in the memorial garden for flowers
\nand burying the urn.<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n