Dutch ways....

After 7 years in the Netherlands i was present in a first Dutch funeral! It was first of all a painful moment since the decease was an uncle from my wife. We went one hour before the ceremony to be with the rest of the family in this difficult moment. Afterwards the coffin was removed from the room where it had been for the past few days by the brothers and sons of the decease onto a special trolley. The coffin was placed on top of this trolley with wheels which made the transportation of the casket a much easier task. We then moved to another building, where all the family and friends could sit and listen to some words from a couple of family members. In between, we listened to a few of his favourite songs and we even had a couple of friends singing and playing a music that he was very fond of. Subsequently we moved to the final resting place. I must say that the cemetery itself looked very beautiful, peaceful and well-kept. It was full of trees, natural flowers, appearing in my eyes as the perfect resting place. After the final ceremony we then moved to another building where we had coffee, tea, soft drinks and cookies available. This was the place where all the friends could pay their respects to the direct family – wife, kids, and brothers and sisters. I have to say that I admire the way the Dutch handle their pain and grief….they suffer as we portuguese do with a love one’s death, but not in such a tragic manner as it happens in Portugal.