Christian death Rites

Not all Christian Funerals are the same.
Sometimes, when a person is dying, a priest or minister will come to their bedside to pray with them and to try to help them prepare for death. In the Roman Catholic church, the priest will put holy oil on a person's head.
When a person dies their body is placed in a coffin. Sometimes this coffin is left open so that relatives can say a final goodbye to the person.
The coffin is then usually taken to a church. Here a priest will read from the Bible. The priest will also say a few words about the person which are designed to comfort the mourners and then say prayers, hoping that the person will now be in heaven.
In a Roman Catholic church  prayers are said for the dead person's soul.
Next the coffin is taken from the church, either for burial or cremation.
At a crematorium, more prayers are said and the coffin is then taken away to be cremated. Later the ashes are returned to relatives to be buried or scattered.
At a funeral the coffin is lowered into the ground and then covered with earth. Later a gravestone may be placed there giving some details of the person's life.
At both services the priest or minister will probably say, 'We commit this body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.' This reminds people that we are all human and made by God.
Candles are sometimes lit to remind people that Jesus was the Light of the World and that because of him, Christians can be saved from their sins and go to heaven.

Hindu death Rites

Hindus hope to spend the final years of their lives in preparation for death. Once they have completed all of their earthly duties they prepare themselves for the afterlife.
When a Hindu dies their body is cremated. This means that their body is burnt. There is important symbolism in the cremation. The body returns to the elements it came from in the form of ashes and the fire enables the spirit to leave the body.
In India the cremation will probably be outside. In Britain it must take place in a crematorium.
When a Hindu dies their body is washed and sweet smelling paste is rubbed into the skin.
Members of the family may offer gifts to Shiva and place them with the body.
The body is carried to the pyre by close members of the family. Often a priest may be present at the ceremony.
The fire is lit and ghee is placed over the wood to make sure it burns well.
A prayer is said over the body, '...may your sight return to the sun and your soul be released to return to the earth to enter a new body or to enter the realms of because it is the most important river in Hinduism. It is associated with Shiva who holds the power of life and death.

Muslim death Rites

Before a Muslim dies they hope to be able to recite the Shahadah (There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet).
When a Muslim dies people say these words from the Qur'an "We have come from God and unto him we shall return".
Muslim law forbids loud wailing and display of grief on the death of a person.
The body is washed three times by people who are the same sex as the dead person. It is then covered with sweet smelling spices and perfumes.
The body is then wrapped in three sheets of white cloth (the cloth they wore on their pilgrimage to Makkah if they have been). This shows that all Muslims are equal in the sight of God.
The dead person is taken to the burial ground on the shoulders of four people. A prayer called dua is you from it and return you to it and from it we will raise you a second time.
Muslims are buried so that they are facing the Kaba (the throne of Allah) in Makkah.
Muslims do not have expensive tombstones this shows that everyone is equal before God.