Recommendations - What to Pack with You for a Funeral

What to Pack with You for a Funeral

Walking to the grave and the burial ceremony are likely to take a considerable time, and even people who are young and strong, and certainly older people, are liable to find the emotional and physical burden of the ceremony difficult to bear. You should prepare accordingly. In the winter, take warm clothes and umbrellas with you for standing without moving for a long time. In the summer, take water bottles and a head covering with you for protection against the sun. If elderly or sick people are expected to arrive, folding chairs should be taken and placed next to the grave. Most funerals are accompanied by weeping; you may want to take packages of tissues or dark sunglasses with you. In traditional funerals in most communities, it is customary for people to cover their head; take kipot (skullcaps) for men and headscarves or hats for women with you. If the deceased is a man who possessed a tallit, it is customary to bring it with you in order to wrap his body in it at the time of the funeral. If you are planning to observe the traditional custom of refraining from wearing leather shoes during shiva, bring cloth shoes with you, so that you can put them on after the burial.