a vigil held over a corpse the night before burial; "there's no weeping at an Irish wake"

Making the deceased available to be visited and seen by relatives and friends before or after the funeral service.

A burial ritual during which friends see the corpse and visit with the family.

American Christian custom where the corpse is seen and family visisted.

In funeral services, a viewing (sometimes called reviewal, funeral visitation or a wake in the United States and Canada) is the time that the family and friends come to see the deceased after they have been prepared by a funeral home. Most bodies that are viewed in the Western world are embalmed. A viewing may take place at the funeral parlour, in a family home or at a church or chapel prior to the actual funeral service.