A funeral is a ceremony marking a person´s death. Funeral customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from the funeral itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor. Every person and every family is different and decisions regarding funeral are influenced by considerations such as cultural and religious traditions, personal preference and cost.

Within the United States, in most cultural groups and regions, the funeral rituals have been divided into three principal parts:

1. A "viewing" or "wake" in which the embalmed body of the deceased person is placed on display in a casket. At the viewing, the friends and relations greet the more distant relatives and friends of the deceased person in a social gathering with little in the way of ritual. The viewing often takes place on one or two evenings before the funeral. The viewing typically takes place at the funeral home or mortuary, which is equipped with gathering rooms where the viewing can be conducted. The viewing may end with a prayer service. The viewing is either "open casket", in which the embalmed body of the deceased has been clothed and treated with cosmetics for display; or "closed casket", in which the coffin is closed.

2. A memorial service, which is sometimes referred to on its own as a funeral and is often officiated by a member of the clergy of the decedent's or bereaved's religion. In this service, the person officiating, and on occasion the decedent's close friends and relatives, may read eulogies concerning the decedent's life and activities. Religious rituals, prayers, readings from the Bible or other sacred texts, hymns, and similar rites are often conducted at this service.

3. A burial service, conducted at the side of the grave, tomb, or mausoleum or at the crematorium, at which the body of the decedent is buried or cremated at the conclusion.