ABSTRACT
The overwhelming majority of Russian citizens are Orthodox. About 66 percent of the population defines itself as Orthodox. The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) is developing very rapidly in contemporary Russia. However, despite its active development, the ROC does not seek to return cemeteries under its control or to participate formally in the funeral business. The Church offers a special Orthodox rite called the otpevanie, which consists of sequential reading of a series of sacred texts. Islam is the native religion for many residents of the Russian Federation, especially the North Caucasus, Tatarstan, and Bashkiria. Muslims have their own plot areas in cemeteries, as well as completely their own cemeteries. In many Muslim regions, funerals are organized by the local community, so the funeral business is very poorly developed there. Jewish funerals are organized by private funeral companies. They adapt the bureaucratic funeral procedures to the requirements of the Jewish tradition.
