A wake is a social gathering associated with death, usually held before a funeral. Traditionally, a wake takes place in the house of the deceased with the body present; however, modern wakes are often performed at a funeral home or another convenient location. In the United States and Canada it is synonymous with a viewing. It is often a social rite that highlights the idea that the loss is one of a social group and affects that group as a whole.
The term originally referred to a late-night prayer vigil but is now mostly used for the social interactions accompanying a funeral. While the modern usage of the verb wake is "become or stay alert", a wake for the dead harks back to the vigil, "watch" or "guard" of earlier times. It is a misconception that people at a wake are waiting in case the deceased should "wake up".
Origin
The term wake was originally used to denote a prayer vigil, often an annual event held on the feast day of the saint to whom a parish church was dedicated. Over time the association with prayer has become less important, although not lost completely, and in many countries a wake is now mostly associated with the social interactions accompanying a funeral.
It used to be the custom in most Celtic countries in Europe for mourners to keep watch or vigil over their dead until they were buried â€" this was called a "wake".
With the change to the more recent practice of holding the wake at a funeral home rather than the home, the custom of providing refreshment to the mourners is often held directly after the funeral at the house or another convenient location.
See also
- Shemira, the custom of "guarding" the body of the deceased in Judaism
- Funeral
- Nine nights
- Jazz funeral
- Month's Mind
- Lying in state
- Memorial service (Orthodox)
- Viewing (funeral)
References
External links
- A first hand account of a modern Irish Wake
-  Ripley, George; Dana, Charles A., eds. (1879). "Wake â€" In Ireland". The American Cyclopædia.Â
-  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Wake". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.Â
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