Is there anything I should know about Scottish funerals?

[BlowDryRat]

I'm going to Glasgow tomorrow for a funeral. The burial is in the morning and family only but I'll be at the church service in the afternoon. I'm not Scottish and haven't been to a Scottish funeral before. Are there any specific matters of etiquette I should be aware of?

There are symbolic cords on the coffin, at a graveside ceremony members of family/close friends each hold one of the cords as the coffin is lowered into the grave. There’s very little weight on them (the heavily lowering is done by grave attendants) - it can be very meaningful, I did it at my mums funeral and recently at the funeral of an old family friend.

The cords are symbolic but once would have been actual ropes with which the coffin was lowered. Which is probably why it was men of the family who "took a cord" as it could be physically demanding.
I think it was traditionally 2 or 3 on each side plus 1 at each of head and foot.

DH helped carry my mum's coffin and was surprised at the weight as she was quite wee.

Where I live, each of the people who take a cord are given the tassel from the end of it, as a keepsake. It's always seemed a bit of an odd thing to do, to me, but I'm from elsewhere, so I suppose I'm just not used to it.

That's a lovely tradition. I'd never heard of it before but I imagine having such a keepsake is very special and personal.

Yes the cords at one point were ropes and it was the family members who lowered the coffin using them. My DUncle died 20 years ago and that was the last time I remember the cords being like that, it stuck in my mind because my DF wobbled a bit on the edge and nearly fell in.

Now it's just a symbolic cord, I had one for my DM's funeral. I was ready to put up a fight to get it mind you, but no-one was surprised by a woman doing it. I guess making them symbolic changed all that.

I hope it wasn't too hard a day for you OP.

Glad it went well, I’m sure the fanliy will have appreciated your travelling up from England . It’s always such a comfort to have a good turn out at a funeral.

If the service was two hours long it must have been Roman Catholic.

Hope the purvey was good 🙂