Funerals are changing rapidly in contemporary British society but evidence hitherto has been patchy and largely anecdotal as to the nature of these changes. Secularising trends have been observed to have led to an emphasis on the grief and needs of the bereaved rather than the rituals associated with the commemorating and departing of the deceased; personalisation of the ceremony over the use of traditional liturgies; celebration of the life over the confronting of death. It is not known to what extent these new practices reflect a new engagement with spirituality and religion, or represent a discarding of both.
This project explored the ways in which mourners (bereaved families) sought, ascribed and expressed meaning through the funeral, and analysed these processes in relation to evidence of religion and a broader spirituality. Meaning-making is a core concept in understandings of contemporary spirituality and also in current grief and bereavement theory. The central research question was whether, and for whom, the meaning-making engaged in by families in
this study could be termed 'spiritual'. This project took place predominantly in the Hull area and the families participating were for the most part of lower socio-economic status. The investigation was conducted through case studies of 46 funerals; all but 2 were from the white indigenous population and Christian or secular ceremonies. Each case study comprised of: observation of the pre-funeral arrangement meetings between families and funeral directors and, where permitted, celebrants; observation of the funeral; follow-up interviews with families. Through observing the planning and carrying out of the funeral and asking family members to reflect on this process in terms of the choices they made and how they experienced the funeral, we were able to trace the process of meaning-seeking, meaningcreating and meaning-taking. The final stage of data collection comprised of interviews with 29
'key informants' - celebrants, funeral directors and other persons involved with funerals, mainly drawn from the Hull area but also across the UK.
The funeral is a significant event in which time and effort is invested in planning, performing the service, and personal reflection afterwards; it is not clear to what extent participation in this research prompted reflection which would not have occurred otherwise but it was not
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uncommon for bereaved people and key informants to comment that they had found the opportunity to reflect to be of great value.
 The choice of funeral director is largely dependent on previous family contact or experience of attending another funeral.
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Choice of funeral director influences other significant choices such as choice of celebrant; this influence varies even within the same firm and according to the opinions of the individual funeral director.
 Most families chose cremation over burial but their reasons related to personal feelings and
‘beliefs’ rather than there being any common patterns, except for those families whose religion prohibited or inclined towards one form rather than another (burial over cremation).
 Services followed a similar pattern regardless of the religious or secular orientation; all were trying to create a ceremony.
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Music was a significant element particularly for families; families were generally less interested in readings although celebrants were generally keen to introduce them, religious celebrants pointing towards particular passages from the Bible, secular celebrants often suggesting favourite poems.
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Symbols and ritual were evident in all the funerals, employing a mix of personal customs and symbols and selected use of religious or other cultural tradition; dress was generally important and reflected either a sombre tradition or was personally symbolic.
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A Eulogy formed the centre piece of the funeral address in all cases, regardless of the religious or secular orientation of the celebrant; in a small number of funerals a family member contributed their own additional tribute.
 In only a handful of funerals had the deceased made their wishes for the funeral known beforehand and this was usually limited to specific items or elements rather than planning the complete service; however, doing things according to what the deceased “would have wanted” was of overriding importance for all the families.
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It was very important for the families to feel satisfied with the way the funeral had gone and with their choices.
Families, funeral directors, celebrants and also the deceased, emerged as active participants in the funeral, in which each had distinct roles, assumed characters, and were conscious of the interaction between the different ‘players’. Thus they came together to enact a ‘story’. It was clear that at this point the influence exercised by the deceased, including many accounts of a tangible sense of their presence, makes them still an active participant rather than the story being created around their memory. This suggests that although there may be elements of a
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memorial service in the modern funeral service, there remain distinct differences between the two events in function and character.
 Funeral directors offered guidance, caring and support to the families as well as facilitating and directing proceedings.
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Celebrants/officiants had a clear sense of responsibility that the funeral should fulfil its central purpose from a religious/philosophical stand-point, but also in terms of what the families wanted.
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Families played an active role as instigators and watchers; although not many ‘participated’ in the service by, for example, doing a reading, all had played a part in planning and organising and/or ‘watching over’ how things actually panned out; many spoke of their attendance (and that of other mourners) at the funeral as in itself active participation.
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The influence of the deceased was evident in, “what s/he would have thought of” the funeral and its constituent elements; in sensing her/his support to get through the service; and in continuing to play a role in the family - for example, bringing them together.
The data provides considerable evidence of religious and spiritual beliefs and practices although little evidence of adherence to formal belief systems - religious or humanist. For the most part bereaved individuals described a personalised construction of ‘beliefs’, often centred around only one specific belief – for example, about the soul. The experience of the death of a loved one appeared to act as a catalyst requiring the bereaved to conceptualise death and confirm or formulate religious or spiritual beliefs. The funeral was the vehicle which allowed them to focus on and experience their spirituality, whether through formal religion or less prescribed form.
 For families who were committed adherents to a religion, the funeral liturgy and service content provided the main expression of their beliefs.
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This also applied to key informants representing a particular religious tradition; Christian ministers felt the need (to a greater or lesser extent) to acknowledge/expound the Christian faith in the service.
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Families’ choice of religious or secular celebrant did not necessarily reflect that they held a religious or secular position, and was sometimes done more with the perceived wishes of the deceased in mind than the preferences of the mourners.
 Speculating about and holding firm beliefs about an afterlife was a prominent feature of the bereaved individuals’ response to the death; families sometimes discussed this together in the interview.
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Affirming a particular stand-point on death and its relationship to life was a key feature in the celebrants’ conducting of the service.
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Religious ministers used the affirmation of faith to frame the committal/burial; the liturgy provided a ritual and ceremony which allowed them to engage with this emotionally difficult point/task within a formal framework of faith.
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The committal/ burial could be an awkward point in secular ceremonies at which celebrants often introduced their own form of words in a liturgical manner apparently in order to manage the sense of finality; BHA celebrants did not deviate from their stated philosophy of life and death, but other secular celebrants were prepared to use words which might comfort the family even if they suggested some continuing contact after death.
 Religious and spiritual themes and beliefs were expressed in the music chosen for the funeral, although this was not always recognised by the families, or not the reason for choosing the piece.
The data shows evidence of a diversity of meaning-making at both individual and community levels. At the same time, there is considerable overlap in the themes expressed and experiences of the bereaved families.
There is also considerable consensus between celebrants and officiants about the purpose of the funeral and their role in mediating the experience of death, as well as the practices they employ. The key differences between religious celebrants and others is the combining of these roles and purposes with religious sacramental and proclamatory functions, which, for the most part are not experienced as significant by the families, although some found meaning in handed-down tradition. However, the ways in which the families in this study pursued and experienced meaning in a broader sense, chime with contemporary definitions of spirituality and often include a transcendental element.
Six broad conclusions can be drawn from this data concerning the evidence of spirituality in contemporary funerals.
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There is significant evidence of beliefs, cognitions and practices which broadly correspond with contemporary understandings of spirituality.
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There is significant evidence of the need to engage in personal meaning-making.
3.
Personal meaning-making processes and practices are linked to recognition of spirituality and spiritual experiences.
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4.
There is little evidence of adherence to formal belief systems but considerable evidence of people drawing on religious tradition to imbue the funeral with meaning and as a vehicle for spiritual experience.
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Ritual is an important element in social, familial and individual behaviours and helps to imbue the death with meaning for the community, the family and the individual.
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Funeral directors play an important part in facilitating meaning while celebrants consciously help to create meaning; however, the extent to which bereaved individuals and families find meaning within the religious or philosophical stand-point of the celebrant or other overt spiritual framework, largely depends on their starting point.
In summary, our data points to a spiritual dimension as significant in the funerals studied. It is: multifaceted; evidenced in behaviours and practices as much as in beliefs articulated; not particularly systematised; shows considerable individual variation; but also, developing patterns, forms and emerging rituals.
The research team would like to acknowledge the support of the Arts and Humanities Research Council in funding this project and the contribution of the Project Advisory Group, and to thank all the families,
celebrants and Co-Operative Funeralcare in Hull for their willingness to participate. The full report can be downloaded at www.hull.ac.uk/socsci/spirituality , or hard copy requested from m.l.holloway@hull.ac.uk.
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