My good Breton friend and neighbour's mother died yesterday. I didn't know her myself.
I have been invited to the funeral/burial and will go with another Breton neighbour on Thursday afternoon. Is there anything I should be aware of or know to do or not do please?
You have already done the right thing with the card. All the rest of the advice on SFN is sound too. I was asked to carry the cross at my neighbour's funeral which was a bit daunting. Just go with the flow - that you have been invited is a good sign of how well integrated you are.
Been to loads in Brittany. Religious and non religious. Outside the church everybody waits. Hearse arrives. Friends and neighbours take flowers into church. In Church everybody sprinles holy water onto coffin. They will make it known if it's a family only interment or not. In our village people are usually invited to a sort of funeral tea in the village restaurant. Dress dark but not hugely formal. Male neighbours are often asked to carry the cross or something else useful. They notice if you are there and really appreciate it and also vice versa!
Thanks, Celeste. I did the card yesterday and took it round to them. We all had a drink, they weren't emotional - it's a relief really as she was deaf, blind, had dementia ws 92 and living in a residential home. Someone I talked to today at bowls said that they tend not to wear black to funerals - it's a Catholic religious burial.