My husband's grandpa passed away last week and the funeral was yesterday. I have seen more funerals than I'd like to admit in my 23 years, but I have never seen the bakers cap on. Most of my family has passed from my mom's side and has been Lutheran or Catholic.

I even asked my Mom about the bakers cap and she said usually that last piece is added right before the closing of the casket and with only the spouse. Maybe the kids..
All the grandkids and nieces/nephews were there. Is this typical?

It was a Nice funeral, considering it was in the stake center and was Mormon. A few of my husband's family members and I got into it pretty good a week ago, so there was a bit of awkwardness..

Don't know if it's typical, but:
When my Dad died,my mom and all us kids as well as the nieces and nephews (his grandchildren) were present when my brother put on the cap before the coffin was closed and we went in for the service.

I've never hear of this cap before. can you elaborate on this?

It's part of the temple garb. Type in temple clothes into google.

Here you go, quiz. This is what men wear in the temple. They are also buried in the temple clothes if they are believing, endowed Mormons.

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m161/HeavyStriker_01/m1-sign.jpg

You forget, after a while....when you have been out a long time...I kinda forgot how silly that outfit rrally is..
I mean, really....!

Howis it that intelligent people take that seriously?

For a man, it's a lot harder to get the cap on then it is for a woman, who just needs the veil pulled down. Usually it is the "privilege" of one of the children to do this--an honor, as it were. DW had to do the veil of her mother when she passed away. Her brother passed away recently, and his son could not get the damn baker's hat on, so the mortician had to get on the end of the casket and put his hands under BIL's shoulders and lift him up into a semi-sitting position in order to get it on. It was just a little bit too uncomfortable.

Just had this conversation last weekend with uber-TBM sister, about how that if the body is too burnt or it's a closed casket thing, the bishop will just toss the robes inside as if to say, "You figure it out when you're resurrected." And if the person chooses to be cremated, which is NOT against the Holy Handbook, it all goes up in flames anyway. So what's the point?, I asked. She had no answers. Mormons never have answers.

The mortician had to lift his grandpa's shoulders too.

I went to two mormon family funerals last month. In both cases, the deceased (male) was dressed in temple clothes. After the private family prayer, and before the funeral, a mormon family member put the baker's hat on.

I find the whole concept of being buried in the 'costume' pretty absurd. Doesn't the soul leave the body at the moment of death?

Isn't our spirit already happily trotting around in the spirit world by the time the body is buried? WHy is how the body, the remains, the earthly shell, is dressed of any importance to the afterlife?

Why do mormons think they need the outfit to get to heaven? Does the spirit wait around untill the coffin is closed, to change into his spiritual temple garbs so that he can finally then move on to the spirit world??

I don't believe any of it mind you.. no afterlife no nothing.. but wonder how the mormons really think about it. Or DO they even think about it?

Anyone invited to stay in the room when they give the family prayer before closing the casket sees the veil or the hat put on.

I'm fairly certain the hat looks a lot more "interesting" in the temple with all the men with them on. I almost started laughing when I walked in the endowment room and saw my future husband with it on.

I wonder if part of the reason it is traditionally buried with or on the corpse and other Mormons are asked to help dress the body, is not to keep it secret but rather, to expose other Mormon members to it in small bits, kind of like a desensitization ritual. If they see the goofy green apron on grandpa when he dies, maybe they won 't question wearing the garb themselves, when it's their turn?

Before the advent of the internet and because most people who have been thru the temple cant or wont speak of it, the ritual garb may never have been discussed. Seeing it at the funeral, in whatever context it's presented, at least exposes people to the idea of special clothes being worn in the temple. People might ask questions awhen they see them. If those who know the answers respond in a way that shows reverence for these items this might cause the asker of the question to thinknof them the same way. And these are items which otherwise, at first sight if never exposed to them before, might cause laughter or a wtf? response or shock to the person who has to wear them in the temple.

But I'm a nevermo, so I might be off base there.

Sorry for your loss, OP.

My FIL had his cap put on right before they closed the casket. You didn't see it in the viewing. However, my DH asked me once to go to a viewing of an LDS friend who committed suicide by putting gun to his head. I hate viewings but I figured this one would be closed casket, since the guy blew the top of his head off. I was rather horrified to see that it was open casket, but he was wearing his baker's cap which did NOT hide the fact half his head was missing. It was a sad, sad viewing but really, it should have been closed casket.

Eewww. Just Eewww.

My sister and I helped with my mother's veil. The funeral director lifted my mothers head so we could put the veil on her, we tied the bow under her chin and placed the veil over her face. My brothers helped with my dad's bakers cap when he died.

What's the point of this? I mean, I have a hard time figuring out the point of burying the dead, anyway. I'm not that sentimental, I suppose.

But really, why is this done? What is the mormon logic behind it? Is it so they will be wearing the right clothes when they're resurrected? Or to bury the sacred secrets of the temple with them?

I think it has more to do with cementing the weirdness into a powerful emotional experience. It's setting up another scenario for cog dis to make you convince yourself it's a good thing. "My solemn respectful ceremony made my dad look ridiculous... well, maybe not that ridiculous. It was super sacred and an honor to participate in. I love the Church."

I think, actually, that it is just an extension of rituals of Freemasonry and Eastern Stars, etc.. The deceased always wear their particular gimcracks in the coffin. A good Mason would NEVER allow himself to be buried without the apron. A Masonic leader would sport the cap and necklace and everything in his casket. It has been this way for at least a couple hundred years in Freemasonry and its offshoots. You can even see this in one of the scenes of "True Grit," in which Mattie Ross comes to claim her father's body and to make sure he is buried in his Mason's apron.

the thought of having to veil a womans face in her casket because she is not good enough to meet god plays right into what JS was about. Why again is the man's face not veiled, is he more speshul?

sadly the tbms don't see it

They did this at my husband's grandfather's funeral. They had just the TBM family stay for the prayer, then the sons put on the hat. There was this awkward moment where they realized they would have to prop him up a little, but no one wanted to do it. They all just stood there a second until someone jumped in to help. I figure this is why most bodies are fully dressed BEFORE the viewing.
On a side note, I was told to pick my temple dress very carefully since I would be buried in it. I already knew I wanted to be cremated, but the idea of my body being buried wearing that garb just cemented that plan!