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Brazilian Funeral Home Live Streams Burial Services

by Amar Toor on November 23, 2010 at 08:30 AM

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Ironically enough, perhaps the only thing more emotionally painful than attending a funeral is having to miss one. But grieving friends and family in one Brazilian town are now able to say goodbye to their departed loved ones from anywhere in the world -- as long as they have an Internet connection, and some extra cash.

The Gonzaga funeral home, located in the city of Governador Valadares, has recently started streaming real-time video of burials, masses and processions on its website. Once logged on, bereaved Brazilians can say their last goodbyes from the comfort of their own living rooms, and even talk with other guests via the site's online chat. Funeral home director Eres Gonzaga tells the AP that the online funeral attendees typically pay $60 an hour for the somber stream, but says the cost can vary, depending on the service.

We're presuming that online guests have to be invited to the event before streaming services, and we certainly hope Gonzaga's taken extra precaution to boost his site's security, in the (unfortunately likely) event that some hacker would be depraved enough to actually crash someone else's virtual funeral. An online funeral, of course, may not be the ideal way to say goodbye, and it may even seem disturbingly cold. But if you think about all the old and infirm friends, or geographically distant relatives who might use the service, it actually makes a lot of sense. And besides, if a virtual funeral helps bereaved loved ones find closure, it's probably worth offering.

Tags: Brazil, chat, death, funeral, funeraria gonzaga, FunerariaGonzaga, gonzaga, live streaming, LiveStreaming, mourning, top, Web

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