What does a catafalque support?

A catafalque is a raised structure supporting a stand that usually holds a coffin to allow mourners to file past and pay their last respects. A watch or catafalque party was traditionally mounted around the coffin to ensure the safety of the body while it lay in state.

What do you call the thing you put a coffin on?

You’ll put the coffin where it needs to be, which will vary depending on the type of funeral At a cremation, you’ll take it into the crematorium and put it onto a stand called a catafalque.

What is the word catafalque mean?

Definition of catafalque 1 : an ornamental structure sometimes used in funerals for the lying in state of the body. 2 : a pall-covered coffin-shaped structure used at requiem masses celebrated after burial.

What side do you wear a poppy on in Australia?

left breast
Wearing a poppy (on the left breast or lapel) is common in Australia on and around Remembrance Day, 11 November.

Why is the woman buried on the left?

Often, you’ll find husbands are placed on their wife’s right side. One theory is that long ago husbands decided their wives belonged on their left side, the side closest to their heart. Other theories hold this placement is a reflection of a couple’s wedding day.

What does the word catafalque mean in English?

What is a catafalque party?

A Catafalque party. A Catafalque party is a guard, usually of four people, that stands watch over the coffin and catafalque of a distinguished person or over a significant monument.

What is the origin of the catafalque?

“stage erected in a church to support a coffin during a funeral,” 1640s, from French catafalque (17c.), or directly from Italian catafalco “scaffold,” which is of uncertain origin.

How many Sentries are in a catafalque party?

A catafalque party consists of a commander, four sentries and one reserve sentry. The four sentries and the reserve are to be armed. However, the catafalque party commander is not normally armed.

What is a catafalque used for at a funeral?

Catafalques are incredibly common and most funerals use something that could be referred to as a catafalque. Any surface used to place a person, whether in coffin or casket or not, for the purpose of display and viewing could be a catafalque.