Astate funeral is a publicfuneral ceremony, observing the strict rules ofprotocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements of military tradition. Generally, state funerals are held in order to involve the general public in anational day of mourning after the family of the deceased gives consent. A state funeral will often generate mass publicity from both national and global media outlets.
State funerals already existed inantiquity. In ancient Athens, for example, fallen soldiers were regularly buried in a public ceremony.[1] In the Roman Empire, a state funeral (funera publica) could be instructed by the senate for the city of Rome, whereas city councils could instruct a communal state funeral.[2]
State funerals in Canada are public events held to commemorate formergovernors general,prime ministers, other members of thecabinet who died in office, and, at the cabinet's discretion, other eminent Canadians. With ceremonial, military, and religious elements incorporated, state funerals are offered and executed by the governor general-in-council, who provides a dignified manner for the Canadian people to mourn a national public figure. Provincial and territorial governments may also perform state funerals for citizens in their particular jurisdictions. However, most state funerals are federal affairs.
As Canada shares the person ofits monarch with the otherCommonwealth realms, funerals for Canada's sovereigns, as well as for their consorts, typically take place in the monarch's oldest and most populous realm, theUnited Kingdom. In Canada, a commemoration service is conducted by the federal crown-in-council and sometimes by provincial crowns, as well.
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In Finland, state funerals continue only forFinnish presidents. In exceptional cases, theFinnish Government may grant or finance a funeral for a very long-servingprime minister,speaker of the parliament, and persons of special national importance. This practice has been in force in Finland since 1989.[3]
On 17 November 2012,Bal Thackeray was accorded a state funeral in the city of Mumbai. On 10 October 2024, businessmanRatan Tata was given a state funeral inMumbai.[4] Former Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh was given a State funeral on 28 December 2024.[5]
InItaly, state funerals are granted by law to the current and former Presidents of the constitutional entities, such as thePresidency,Parliament, the Government, and theConstitutional Court, as well as toMinisters who die while in office. State funerals can also be granted by decree of the Council of Ministers to individuals who provided exceptional service to the country,citizens who brought honor to the nation, or those who died in the line of duty or as victims ofterrorism ororganized crime.[6]
The official protocol provides for:[6]
Public mourning, either national or local, is declared following the provisions of the Prime Minister's decrees. Theflags are flown athalf-mast outside public buildings, while inside they display twoblack ribbons, with the exceptions provided for military flags when required bymilitary protocol.[6]
If the departed held a public office, the body canlie in state in the building of the office's institution. In other cases, the will of the family, the traditions of the office, or the local customs are followed.[6]
Outside the cases provided for by protocol, for example duringnatural events that deeply impact the community, solemn funerals can be arranged and the six people who carry the coffins are members of theCivil Protection.[6]
Thai royal funerals (Thai:พระราชพิธีพระบรมศพ;RTGS: Phra Ratcha Phithi Phra Borommasop) are elaborate events, organised as royal ceremonies akin to state funerals. They are held for deceased members of theroyal family, and consist of numerous rituals which typically span several months to over a year. Featuring a mixture of Buddhist andanimist beliefs, as well as Hindu symbolism, these rituals include the initial rites that take place after death, a lengthy period oflying-in-state, during which Buddhist ceremonies take place, and a finalcremation ceremony. For the highest-ranking royalty, the cremation ceremonies are grand public spectacles, featuring the pageantry of large funeral processions and ornate purpose-built funeral pyres or temporary crematoria known asmerumat ormen. The practices date to at least the 17th century, during the time of theAyutthaya Kingdom. Today, the cremation ceremonies are held in the royal field ofSanam Luang in the historic centre ofBangkok.
In theUnited Kingdom, state funerals are usually reserved formonarchs. The most recent was thestate funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on 19 September 2022.[7]
A state funeral may also be held to honour a highly distinguished figure following the approval of the monarch andParliament (of the expenditure of public funds).[8] The last non-royal state funeral in the United Kingdom was that of SirWinston Churchill on30 January 1965.[9]
Other funerals, including those of senior members of theBritish royal family and high-ranking public figures, may share many of the characteristics of a state funeral without being categorised as such; for these, the term "ceremonial funeral" is used. In the past fifty years, ceremonial funerals have been held forLouis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (1979);Diana, Princess of Wales (1997);Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (2002);Margaret Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (2013);[8] andPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (2021). Ceremonial funerals have tended in general to follow the ritual patterns of a state funeral (if on a somewhat smaller scale).
Agun carriage has been used to transport thecoffin between locations sinceQueen Victoria's funeral (1901); it is also accompanied by a procession ofmilitary bands and detachments along with mourners and other officials. There may also be alying in state and other associated ceremonies.[10]
In theUnited States, state funerals are the official funerary rites conducted by thefederal government in the nation's capital,Washington, D.C., that are offered to a sitting or formerpresident, apresident-elect, high government officials and other civilians who have rendered distinguished service to the nation.[11][12] Administered by theMilitary District of Washington (MDW), a command unit of theJoint Force Headquarters National Capital Region, state funerals are greatly influenced byprotocol, steeped intradition, and rich inhistory. However, the overall planning as well as the decision to hold a state funeral, is largely determined by the family of the honoree, upon invitation by the government.[13]
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