ABSTRACT
Funerals in Poland are an important community event integrating the family, neighbors, and friends. There are differences between urban and rural funerals. The chapter characterizes the principal components of the funeral from the time of death. It describes artifacts used during the ceremony, and how the funeral meal in the house has been replaced by modern catering provided at the local depots and recreation rooms, or at a meeting of the guests at a restaurant specializing in funeral banquets. It cites new technologies offered by undertakers: embalming and multimedia. It also explains how a humanistic ceremony is not necessarily secular. It can be either lay or hybrid, consisting of religious and individual elements oriented on the life of the deceased and addressed to mourners.
