A Pathology of Funerals in Yasuj

The popular rites and traditions have developed throughout the time and have not been immune from damages and deviances. Reforming these pathologies requires recognizing them and realistically planning for their replacement them with appropriate cultures. The funerals are among the traditions that have deviated from the true Islamic teachings. Considering the specificities of funeral rites in Yasuj, like many other parts of Iran, the Islamic teachings and prescriptions for such rites are gathered through the documentary method and, using anthropological techniques of participatory observation and in-depth interview, the pathology of the rites is classified and depicted via comparative-analytical method. Some of the findings of the study suggest impairments like excessive impatience, ingratitude, and wrong behaviors such as scratching one’s face and pulling one’s hair by the mourners, exaggeration in admiring and even telling lies about the deceased by the panegyrist, lack of deliberation during the rites, ostentatiousness in holding the funeral, the lucrativeness of the reception, fault decisions taken about the spouse, the belief in superstitions, and reprimanding the family of the deceased.