Editing Embalming (section)

==Clothing==
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As with all funeral practises local custom, culture, religion and family request are the key determiners of clothing for the deceased. In the Western world, men are usually buried in [[informal attire|business attire]], such as a suit or coat and tie, and women in semi-formal dresses or pant suits. In recent years, a change has occurred, and many individuals are now buried in less formal clothing, such as what they would have worn on a daily basis, or other favorite attire. The clothing used can also reflect the deceased person's profession or vocation: priests and ministers are often dressed in their liturgical [[vestments]], and military and law enforcement personnel often wear their uniform. Underwear, singlets, bras, briefs, and hosiery are all used if the family so desires, and the deceased is dressed in them as they would be in life.

In certain instances a funeral director will request a specific style of clothing, such as a collared shirt or blouse, to cover traumatic marks or [[autopsy]] incisions. In other cases clothing may be cut down the back and placed on the deceased from the front to ensure a proper fit. In many areas of Asia and Europe, the custom of dressing the body in a specially designed [[shroud]] or burial cloth, rather than in clothing used by the living, is preferred.

After the deceased has been dressed, they are generally placed in their [[coffin]] or casket. In [[American English]], the word ''coffin'' is used to refer to an anthropoid (stretched hexagonal) form, whereas ''casket'' refers specifically to a rectangular coffin.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.coffinworks.org/from-coffins-to-caskets-an-american-history/ |title=From Coffins to Caskets: An American History |author=Sarah Hayes |website=Coffin Works Museum |date=2017-07-26 |accessdate=2025-03-14}}</ref> It is common for photographs, notes, cards, and favourite personal items to be placed in the coffin with the deceased. Bulky and expensive items, such as electric guitars, are occasionally interred with a body. In some ways this mirrors the ancient practice of placing [[grave goods]] with a person for their use or enjoyment in the afterlife. In traditional Chinese culture, paper substitutes of the goods are buried or [[cremation|cremated]] with the deceased instead, as well as [[joss paper|paper money]] specifically purchased for the occasion.