Wake ( ceremony ) - wikipedia Wake ( ceremony ) It has been suggested that this article be merged into Funeral. ( Discuss ) Proposed since October 2017. The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new article, as appropriate. ( May 2014 ) Wake ( museum display ) Wake ( Buddhism in Japan ) A wake is a social gathering associated with death, usually held before a funeral. Traditionally, a wake takes place in the house of the deceased with the body present ; however, modern wakes are often performed at a funeral home or another convenient location. In the United States and Canada it is synonymous with a viewing. It is often a social rite that highlights the idea that the loss is one of a social group and affects that group as a whole. The term originally referred to a late - night prayer vigil but is now mostly used for the social interactions accompanying a funeral. While the modern usage of the verb wake is `` become or stay alert '', a wake for the dead harks back to the vigil, `` watch '' or `` guard '' of earlier times. It is a misconception that people at a wake are waiting in case the deceased should `` wake up ''. Origin The term wake was originally used to denote a prayer vigil, often an annual event held on the feast day of the saint to whom a parish church was dedicated. Over time the association with prayer has become less important, although not lost completely, and in many countries a wake is now mostly associated with the social interactions accompanying a funeral. It used to be the custom in most Celtic countries in Europe for mourners to keep watch or vigil over their dead until they were buried -- this was called a `` wake ''. With the change to the more recent practice of holding the wake at a funeral home rather than the home, the custom of providing refreshment to the mourners is often held directly after the funeral at the house or another convenient location. See also Shemira, the custom of `` guarding '' the body of the deceased in Judaism Funeral Nine nights Jazz funeral Month 's Mind Lying in state Memorial service ( Orthodox ) Viewing ( funeral ) References Jump up ^ 1991 Metcalf, Peter & Richard Huntington. Celebrations of Death : The Anthropology of Mortuary Ritual. Cambridge Press, New York. Print. ^ Jump up to : ( 1 ) Ivan Brunetti ; Wilton, David A. ( 2004 ). Word myths : debunking linguistic urban legends. Oxford ( Oxfordshire ) : Oxford University Press. ISBN 0 - 19 - 517284 - 1. Jump up ^ Harland, John ; Wilkinson, T.T. ( 1873 ). `` Pageants, maskings and mummings ''. Lancashire legends traditions, pageants. George Routledge and Sons. pp. 123 -- 124. Jump up ^ Lysik, David ; Gilmour, Peter ( September 1996 ). Now and at the Hour of Our Death : Instructions Concerning My Death and Funeral. Liturgy Training Publications. p. 28. ISBN 1568542860. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wakes ( ceremonies ). A first hand account of a modern Irish Wake Ripley, George ; Dana, Charles A., eds. ( 1879 ). `` Wake -- In Ireland ''. The American Cyclopædia. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. ( 1911 ). `` Wake ''. Encyclopædia Britannica ( 11th ed. ). Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wake_(ceremony)&oldid=804600293 '' Categories : Death customs Christian worship and liturgy Prayer Undertaking Irish culture Hidden categories : Articles to be merged from October 2017 All articles to be merged Articles with limited geographic scope from May 2014 Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from The American Cyclopaedia Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from The American Cyclopaedia with a Wikisource reference Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference Talk About Wikipedia Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Español Euskara Italiano Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Polski Português Русский Svenska Tagalog Edit links This page was last edited on 10 October 2017, at 01 : 26. About Wikipedia

Question: why do they call it a wake at a funeral
Answer: While the modern usage of the verb wake is "become or stay alert", a wake for the dead harks back to the vigil, "watch" or "guard" of earlier times.