What do you call someone who carries the coffin?
A pallbearer is responsible for carrying the coffin or casket of the deceased from the hearse to its final place of rest, depending on whether it is a cremation or burial service.
Is being a pallbearer an honor?
When You’ve Been Asked to Serve As Pallbearer. You may not realize it, but it is a special honor that the family has requested your services as a pallbearer for their deceased loved one. You may be a family member to the deceased, a co-worker, neighbor or a special friend.
Can a pallbearer be female?
In most cases, pallbearers are people who have close relations with the deceased. It can be family members, relatives, co-workers, or close friends and women should not be excluded from the equation.
What does pallbearer mean?
: a person who helps to carry the coffin at a funeral also : a member of the escort or honor guard of the coffin who does not actually help to carry it.
How heavy is a coffin with a body in it?
The body, casket, and hardware may weigh 400 pounds. If that weight is divided evenly among six pallbearers, each one is responsible for about 66 pounds. If a heavier casket was chosen for a large person, the weight that the pallbearers must carry might be as much as 600 pounds.
Do they put weights in coffins?
The Funeral director must supply coffin weights before burial takes place. Coffin weight must be considered prior to any lifting operations taking place. Very High over 200kg Both A and B categories could be considered if there was a request to carry coffin at shoulder height.
Why do coffins weigh so much?
Wooden caskets weight around 150 to 200 pounds because they are made of “full” planks of wood to ensure stability and solidity. Metal caskets are a bit lighter (80 to 100 pounds) because metal is naturally stronger than wood so it doesn’t need to be as thick.
How hard is it to carry a coffin?
Know the weight of the person in the coffin and bear in mind that wooden coffins are also quite heavy, adding up to 20kg. If the load is more than 90kgs (14 stones) you will need six bearers. If the load is more than 125 kilos (20 stones), you should think very carefully about carrying the coffin.
Does an embalmed body weight less?
(A) A weight gain occurs after embalming (P = 0.005), and a weight loss (P < 0.001) occurs following the subsequent dehydration, respectively. The combination of these two procedures results in a significant weight reduction (P = 0.007).