Among the Maharastrian, Tamil and Malayali Christians of this region it is still customary at he ceremony to give to the priest a mangalsutra for being blessed by him which is then tied by the bridegroom round the neck of the bride. The Mangal-sutra is made of gold thread and black beads. The priest gets the patient to review, as far as it is in his power at the time, all the wrongs he has done, all the sins he has committed and then induces him to be really sorry for what he has done and to ask God's pardon for his sins. If the patient is unconscious, he is given what is called the Sacrament of Extreme Unction. The priest anoints the vital sense of the lying man with a specially blessed oil, and prays to God to forgive the dying man for whatever wrong he may have done through the senses.
Christians bury their dead.
The hands are tied together across the chest and a small crucifix is placed in them. When the body or coffin is lowered in the grave the priest first puts a few handfuls of earth over it and then the mourners follow. On the seventh and on the thirteenth day and at the end of the year and in some cases every year solemn office and all persons who attend are given a festive dinner or breakfast. Black clothes are a mark of mourning and the close relatives of the dead person observe mourning for one year during which period they do not attend public or social functions.