The passing of a loved ones brings many small details that will need attending. One such situation is getting all mourners from the funerary service location to the place where the body will be interred. Certain protocols are in place to assist with this, including the use of specially designed funeral flags.
The line of mourners traveling together from service's location to interment site is called a funerary procession. Though some groups and cultures do a slow, mournful walk to the grave side, it is more common to use vehicles in this day and age. The lead position is always given to the hearse, which bears the body or ashes of the one being honored.
As the one being honored, the deceased is placed in the hearse, which takes the front position. The next place is held by the cars, frequently limousines, that carry the parents, spouse, significant other or children of the departed one. Immediate family will follow the limos and all others mourners will fall in behind them.
Police escorts are often sent to assist the group on their journey and ensure that other drivers do not interrupt the line of mourners. Instead of or in addition to official assistance, the hosting Home may supply banners to each vehicle that identifies their purpose. There are many different styles of these products.
Sometimes, wide ribbons are stretched across the hood of each car, identifying the passengers as in mourning. More commonly used are banners flown from flexible plastic rods attached to an automobile's door window. These may also be found with a magnetic base designed to firmly adhere to the metal or vinyl outside of the vehicle.
Products of this type typically stand nearly a foot tall and use flexible staffs to prevent breakage from strong winds. The banners are usually about 6 x 9 inches which makes them easy to see. Color options may vary with some of the more common options being purple, white and orange, all with contrasting crosses centered on them.
