State funerals

A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements of military tradition. Generally, state funerals are held in order to involve the general public in a national day of mourning after the family of the deceased gives consent. A state funeral will often generate mass publicity from both national and global media outlets.

Africa

Algeria

* Ahmed Ben Bella
* Abdelaziz Bouteflika

Angola

* Agostino Neto
* Jose Eduardo dos Santos

Botswana

* Sir Seretse Khama
* Ruth Williams Khama
* Gladys Olebile Masire
* Sir Ketumile Masire

Burundi

* Pierre Nkurunziza

Cameroon

* Marc-Vivien Foe

DR Congo

* Laurent-Desire Kabila

Egypt

* Gamal Abdel Nasser (1 October 1970)
* Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (29 July 1980), Shah of Iran who died in exile in Egypt
* Anwar Sadat (8 October 1981)
* Hosni Mubarak (26 February 2020)

Ethiopia

* Meles Zenawi
* Sylvia Pankhurst
* Tilahun Gessesse

Gabon

* Edith Lucie Bongo
* Omar Bongo

Ghana

Ivory Coast

Kenya

* Mzee Jomo Kenyatta
* Lucy Kibaki
* Wangari Maathai
* Wahome Gakuru
* Joyce Laboso
* Daniel Arap Moi
* Mwai Kibaki

Malawi

* Bingu wa Mutharika

Mozambique

* Samora Machel
* Afonso Dhlakama

Namibia

* Andimba Toivo ya Toivo

Somalia

* Hassan Abshir Farah
* Nur Hassan Hussein

South Africa

South Sudan

* Gordon Muortat Mayen
* Dr. John Garang de Mabior

Tanzania

* Benjamin Mkapa
* John Magufuli
* Julius Nyerere

Tunisia

* Beji Caid Essebsi

Uganda

* Godfrey Binaisa
* Mutesa II of Buganda
* Milton Obote
* Jacob Oulanyah

Zambia

* Levy Mwanawasa
* Frederick Chiluba
* Betty Kaunda
* Michael Sata
* Kenneth Kaunda

Zimbabwe

* Joshua Nkomo
* Simon Muzenda
* Joseph Msika
* John Nkomo
* Oliver Mtukudzi
* Robert Mugabe

Americas

Argentina

In 1952 Eva Perón died at age 33. She held the title of Spiritual Leader of the Nation of Argentina, granted by the Congress of Argentina. Nearly three million people covered the funeral of Evita in the streets of Buenos Aires. A radio broadcast interrupted the broadcasting schedule, with the announcer reading, "The Press Secretary's Office of the Presidency of the Nation fulfills its very sad duty to inform the people of the Republic that at 20:25 hours Mrs. Eva Perón, Spiritual Leader of the Nation, died." Eva Perón was granted a state funeral and a full Roman Catholic requiem mass.Ortiz. On Saturday 9 August, the body was then transferred to the Congress Building for an additional day to be publicly viewed. The next day, after a final Sunday mass, the coffin was laid atop on a gun carriage pulled by CGT officials. Following next was Juan Perón, his cabinet, Eva's family and friends, the delegates and representatives of the Partido Peronista Femenino, then workers, nurses and students of the Eva Perón Foundation. Her coffin was showered with carnations, orchids, chrysanthemums, wallflowers and roses thrown from the nearby balconies as the procession passed through the streets.

Juan Perón died at age 78 on 1 July 1974, after his health progressively deteriorated. His wife and vice president, Isabel Perón, gave the announcement: "''with great sorrow, I must convey to the people of Argentina the death of this true apostle of peace and nonviolence.''" After several days of national mourning, in which the body laid in state at the Argentine National Congress for hundreds of thousands of people, the remains were moved to a crypt in the Quinta de Olivos Presidential Palace. On 17 November 1974 the remains of Evita were moved to the crypt on the grounds of the Presidential Palace. While the body was in Congress, over 135,000 people filed past the coffin, while a million Argentines had to bid their farewell to their leader from the outside. Two thousand foreign journalists reported the details of the funeral.

Raul Alfonsín died at age 82 on 31 March 2009 after a long battle against lung cancer and. in his last days, broncoaspirativa pneumonia. Argentina's government declared three days of national mourning for the death and his remains were veiled from the early hours of April 1, 2009 in the Blue Room of the National Congress, which was attended also by authorities and politicians of different parties an estimated 80,000 people had to wait in line for five to six hours. Among the political authorities who attended the event were former presidents Carlos Menem, Eduardo Duhalde, Fernando De la Rua and Nestor Kirchner, President Cristina Fernandez was unable to attend because they were in the G-20 London but sent its condolences. The next day they were taken to a military gun carriage escorted by the Mounted Grenadiers Regiment at Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires. The remains of former president rested temporarily in the vault of the fallen in the Revolution of the Park until 16 May were transferred to a single monument in the cemetery in a place built of gray and beige marble, where there is a cross on top and a bright stained glass by entering a glimmer.

Argentina's former President and Secretary General of UNASUR, Néstor Kirchner, died of heart failure on the morning of 27 October 2010 at the Jose Formenti hospital in El Calafate, Santa Cruz Province at the age of 60. Although there was some effort made to revive him, it did not do so His wife, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, was present with him when he died. He was also expected to run for president in 2011.

Barbados

A state funeral was held on November 3, 2010, in Bridgetown for former Barbados Prime Minister David Thompson.

Brazil

State funerals were held for the President-elect of Brazil, Tancredo Neves, who died before taking office. The former Vice President of Brazil, José Alencar, was also buried with a head of state's honor, after his passing due to cancer. Other than heads of state, personalities such as the Formula 1 racing champion Ayrton Senna, dead in 1994 after a crash during a race, and the architect Oscar Niemeyer, who died in 2012 at the age of 104, among others.

Canada

In Canada, state funerals are public events held to commemorate the memory of present and former governors general, present and former prime ministers, sitting members of the Ministry (the Privy Council) and other prominent Canadians at the discretion of the Prime Minister. With ceremonial, military, and religious elements incorporated, state funerals are offered and executed by the Government of Canada which provides a dignified manner for the Canadian people to mourn a national public figure.

In 2006, the House of Commons voted unanimously, on a motion introduced by the NDP, to hold a state funeral when the last Canadian veteran of the First World War died. However, John Babcock, after becoming the last surviving veteran, stated that he did not feel the need to be honoured in such a way.

In August 2011, in a rare circumstance, Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered a state funeral for his political adversary and Leader of the Opposition, Jack Layton. Layton died of cancer three months after his New Democratic Party became the official opposition, for the first time in his party's history.

In 2014, former finance minister Jim Flaherty received a state funeral after his death.

Dominica

Crispin Sorhaindo, former President of Dominica, was given a state funeral on January 18, 2010, in Roseau.

Ecuador

On November 16, 2016, the state funeral of former President of Ecuador Sixto Durán Ballén was held in Quito.

Grenada

On March 16, 2012, a state funeral was held in St. George's for former Grenadian Prime Minister George Ignatius Brizan.

Jamaica

Legendary reggae singer Bob Marley received a state funeral in Jamaica on 21 May 1981, which combined elements of Ethiopian Orthodoxy and Rastafari tradition.

On July 18, 2004, a state funeral was held for former Jamaican Prime Minister Hugh Shearer in Kingston.

On June 23, 2019, a state funeral was held for former Jamaican Prime Minister Edward Philip George Seaga in Kingston. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Jamaica, from 1980 to 1989, and the leader of the Jamaica Labour Party from 1974 to 2005.

Mexico

Novelist Carlos Fuentes received a state funeral on May 16, 2012, with his funeral cortege briefly stopping traffic in Mexico City. The ceremony was held in the Palacio de Bellas Artes and was attended by President Felipe Calderón.

State funerals have also been held for former Mexican presidents. Traditionally, the final funeral services for a former Mexican president is held at either the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral or Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The services are attended by the former president's family, the current President of Mexico, the Head of Government of Mexico City and their families, foreign heads of state or their representatives (usually a foreign ambassador, vice president, prime minister or premier), military officials, Senators and Deputies, and other dignitaries. The principal celebrant of the service is usually the Archbishop of Mexico City, and traditionally the President and the Head of Government of Mexico City both deliver the final eulogies and remarks.

On the days leading to a Presidential state funeral, the Mexican flags are at half-mast, and the Olympic cauldron at Estadio Olimpico Universitario is lit until the funeral services have ended, when it is extinguished. The day of the Presidential funeral, if held in Mexico City, is usually the national day of mourning; there is no mail to be delivered on that day, all schools and colleges in Mexico City are closed, and all television and motion picture studios in Mexico City, and with them the studios of Televisa, TV Azteca, Imagen Televisión and Multimedios Televisión within the capital and their affiliates across Mexico, alongside those of state-owned Canal Catorce and Canal del Congreso, and public television networks Canal Once (Mexico), Channel 11, TV UNAM and Televisión Educativa (Mexico), Educational Television of Mexico, are closed to audiences and tours. All business, including shopping centers and entertainment facilities, in Mexico City are closed for the day; stores and theaters that are part of regional and national retail and theater companies headquartered in Mexico City are also closed nationwide.

The most recent Presidential funeral was that of Miguel de la Madrid, which was attended by thousands of dignitaries including President Calderon and Head of Government of the Federal District Marcelo Ebrard.

St Lucia

Sir William George Mallet GCSL GCMG CBE (July 24, 1923 – October 20, 2010) received a state funeral on October 28, 2010, in the capital Castries. Mallet was a politician who held a number of high offices in Saint Lucia, one of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles in the Eastern Caribbean. On June 1, 1996, "Sir George" was appointed to the office of Governor-General of St Lucia.

The Bahamas

On September 4, 2000, a state funeral was held in Nassau, Bahamas, Nassau for former Prime Minister of the Bahamas, Bahamian Prime Minister Sir Lynden Pindling. On January 5, 2012, a state funeral was held in Nassau for former Governor-General of the Bahamas, Bahamian Governor-General Sir Clifford Darling.

United States

In the United States, state funerals are held in the nation's capital, Washington, D.C., and involve military spectacle, ceremonial pomp, and religious observance. As the highest possible honor bestowed upon a person wikt:posthumous, posthumously, state funerals are an entitlement offered to a sitting or former President of the United States, a President-elect of the United States, President-elect, as well as other people designated by the President. Administered by the United States Army Military District of Washington, Military District of Washington (MDW), state funerals are greatly influenced by protocol (diplomacy), protocol, steeped in tradition, and rich in history. However, the overall planning as well as the decision to hold a state funeral, is largely determined by the President before his death and the First Family of the United States, First Family.

State funerals have been held in Washington D.C. for William Henry Harrison (1841), Zachary Taylor (1850), Abraham Lincoln (1865), Thaddeus Stevens (1868), James A. Garfield (1881), William McKinley (1901), Warren G. Harding (1923), the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Arlington), Unknown Soldier of World War I (1921), William Howard Taft (1930), John J. Pershing (1948), the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Arlington), Unknown Soldiers of World War II and the Korean War (1958), John F. Kennedy (1963), Douglas MacArthur (1964), Herbert Hoover (1964), Dwight D. Eisenhower (1969), Lyndon B. Johnson (1973), Ronald Reagan (2004), Gerald Ford (2006-2007), George H. W. Bush (2018), and Ruth Bader Ginsburg (2020).

The first woman to lie in state in the Capitol was Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 2020.

Asia and Oceania

Australia

In Australia, Commonwealth (federal) state funerals are generally offered to former or deceased governor-general of Australia, governors-general, prime minister of Australia, prime ministers and long-serving members of the Parliament of Australia. In rare occasions a Commonwealth state funeral is offered to people outside politics but who made a significant contribution to the nation, for example Sir Douglas Mawson was granted a Commonwealth state funeral in 1958. A Commonwealth state funeral was offered for Margaret Whitlam but the Whitlam family declined. Steve Irwin was offered a state funeral after his death in 2006 but his family declined, opting for a private ceremony.

Military state funerals are offered to former senior officers of the Australian Defence Force, for example Field Marshall Sir Thomas Blamey, and sometimes given to governors-general, prime ministers, state governors and state premiers who had previous military service. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Unknown Soldier was given a Commonwealth military state funeral on 11 November 1993 before being interred in the Hall of Memory at the Australian War Memorial. In the early years of the 21st century, military state funerals were offered to the last few World War I veterans.

New South Wales

State funerals held in NSW are subject to a policy operated since 1966. Governor of New South Wales, Governors, Chief Justice of New South Wales, Chief Justices, premiers, and long-term ministers are generally offered a state funeral. However the premier of NSW can offer such a service for those determined to be distinguished citizens of NSW. For example, soccer player Johnny Warren was given a state funeral in NSW. Where the family of the dead person does not wish to have a state funeral, the offer of a state memorial service will be considered.

Some former governors who had previous military service were given military state funerals, for example Rear Admiral Sir David Martin (governor), David Martin and Air Marshal Sir James Rowland (RAAF officer), James Rowland.

On 27 November 2007, Bernie Banton, a campaigner for asbestos victims who worked for James Hardie, lost his battle with mesothelioma, an asbestos-related disease. His family was offered a state funeral by NSW premier Morris Iemma.

Queensland

Current and former Governor of Queensland, Governors, Premier of Queensland, Premiers, Deputy Premier of Queensland, deputy premiers, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, speakers of the Legislative Assembly, Chief Justice of Queensland, chief justices of the Supreme Court, presidents of the Court of Appeal and current members of the Executive Council of Queensland, Executive Council are automatically eligible for a state funeral. It is the prerogative of the premier of the day to offer a state funeral to other prominent Queenslanders. A state funeral was offered for TV celebrity Steve Irwin in September 2006, but his family declined the offer.

Victoria

State funerals are generally offered to former governors, premiers and other senior public officials. At the discretion of the premier, a state funeral can be offered to other prominent Victorians; for example, broadcaster Peter Evans (radio personality), Peter Evans (1985), Australian rules football, Australian Rules football player Ted Whitten (1995), race-car driver Peter Brock (2006), actor Bud Tingwell, Charles 'Bud' Tingwell (2009), Australian Rules football player and charity worker Jim Stynes (2012), Australian Rules football player and media personality Lou Richards (2017), and cricketer Shane Warne (2022). A state funeral was also offered to the family of the Seekers' singer Judith Durham (2022), which was accepted.

Olivia Newton-John was offered a state funeral following her death on 8 August 2022. Her family have accepted the offer.

Explorers Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills received Victoria's first (and Australia's second) state funeral on 21 January 1863.

South Australia

State funerals are generally offered to former Governors, Premiers, Deputy Premiers, Speakers of the House of Assembly, Chief Justices and other senior public officials. Surveyor General Lieutenant Colonel William Light (1786–1839) received South Australia's, and Australia's, first state funeral on 10 October 1839. The funeral procession commenced from his home at Theberton [Thebarton], passed through the Adelaide Park Lands to a service in Holy Trinity Church, North Terrace, Adelaide, and thence to burial in Light Square, with military honours.

Western Australia

The offer of a state funeral is a decision of the Cabinet.

Tasmania

State funerals are generally offered to former Governor of Tasmania, Governors, Premier of Tasmania, Premiers, Deputy Premiers, Speakers of the House of Assembly of Tasmania, House of Assembly, Chief Justices and other senior public officials.

Australian Capital Territory

The offer of a state funeral is at the discretion of the Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory, Chief Minister. People who have received state funerals include former chief minister Trevor Kaine, Supreme Court judge Terry Connolly and former chairman of the Canberra Commercial Development Authority Jim Pead.

Azerbaijan

A state funeral was held for President Heydar Aliyev in 2003. Former president Abulfaz Elchibey was also accorded a state funeral upon his death.

Cambodia

Cambodia held state funerals for the following people:
* King Norodom Suramarit (1960)
* King Norodom Sihanouk (2012)

Republic of China

According to the Act of State Funeral (1948), state funerals are declared by presidential order after a majority vote in the Legislative Yuan. The Flag of the Republic of China, national flag shall be flown at half-mast on the day of the state funeral.

State funerals (or equivalent) were arranged for the following persons:
;By the Parliament of the Republic of China
* Cai E (1917)
* Huang Xing (15 April 1917)
* Sun Yat-sen (1 June 1929)
;By the Canton Military Government
* Cheng Biguang (2 March 1918)
* Li Zhonglin (1920)
* Lin Xiumei (1921)
* Wu Tingfang (3 December 1924)
* Liao Zhongkai (August 1925, 1935)
;By the Nanking Nationalist Government
* Tan Yankai (1930)
* Lu Shidi (1930)
* Li Yuanhong (1935)
* Duan Qirui (2 November 1936)
* Hu Hanmin (17 June 1936)
* Shao Yuanchong (9 March 1937)
* Zhu Peide (13 March 1937)
* Tang Jiyao (25 December 1937)
* Liu Xiang (warlord), Liu Xiang (14 February 1938)
* Xie Chi (6 May 1939)
* Lin Sen (August 1943)
* Cai Yuanpei (10 May 1947)
* Zhang Zizhong (28 May 1940)
* Tong Linge (28 July 1946)
* Bo Wenwei, Chen Qimei, Zhang Ji (Republic of China), Zhang Ji, Hao Mengling, Li Jiayu, Qin Zhen (19 May 1948)
* Dai Jitao (April 1949)
;By the Government of Republic of China (Taiwan)
* Hu Shih (1962)
* Chen Cheng (1965)
* Chiang Kai-shek (1975)
* Chiang Ching-kuo (1988)
* Yen Chia-kan (22 January 1994)
* Teresa Teng (28 May 1995)
* 8 soldiers who died in the UH-1 tragedy (11 April 2007)
* 8 soldiers who died in 2020 ROCAF UH-60M crash, including Shen Yi-ming (14 January 2020)
* Lee Teng-hui (7 October 2020)

Hong Kong

British Hong Kong

Prior to 1997, in British Hong Kong, Edward Youde was given Hong Kong's first state funeral in 1986. The casket was carried by ten guardsmen, draped in the Union Flag, and a 17-gun salute from HMS Tamar (shore station) was fired. The funeral was exceptionally well attended.

Hong Kong post-1997

Since 1997, only three people in Hong Kong have been allowed to have the flag of the People's Republic of China draped on their coffin during their funeral:
* Mr. Ann Tse-kai (2000)—Hong Kong - former Legislative Council, Executive Council of Hong Kong, Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Basic Law Committee, Hong Kong Affairs Advisor
* Wong Ker-lee (2004) - Hong Kong business man, founder of Winco Paper Products
* Henry Fok Ying-tung (2006)—Beijing and Hong Kong; Hong Kong businessman

Funerals using a SAR flag are not deemed state funerals in Hong Kong.

The government provides funerals for fallen uniform service members. Flags of the specific service or the SAR flag maybe used on the coffin. Hong Kong Police Band may lead the procession as part the funeral ceremony and escort maybe provided by Hong Kong Police to final resting place at Gallant Garden, a cemetery reserved for civil servants who died on duty.

India

In India, State funerals were initially reserved only for current and former Presidents, Prime Ministers, Union ministers and State Chief Ministers. And the decision to accord a state funeral rested initially with the union government. But laws have been changed such that the state government can now decide who will be given a state funeral, depending on the stature of the deceased. If the union government has decided for a state funeral then following procedures will be applied to all over India, else if the state government has declared a state funeral then it applies only to the state.

The government takes into consideration the contribution made by the person to the state in various fields like politics, literature, law, science and arts. The chief minister of the concerned state takes a decision after consultations with other cabinet ministers. Once a decision is taken on the issue, it is conveyed to senior police officials including the deputy commissioner, the police commissioner and the superintendent of police, who have to make all the arrangements for a state funeral.

During a State funeral,
* A state mourning or National day of mourning is officially declared.
* The Indian National Flag, national flag is flown at half mast as per the Flag Code of India. This decision solely lies with the President of India, who also decides the period for which flag is to be flown at half mast.
* A public holiday is declared.
* The deceased person's bier or coffin is draped with the national flag with saffron towards the head of the bier or coffin while lying in state. The flag should not be lowered into the grave or burnt in the pyre.
* The deceased is honored with a gun salute when being buried or cremated.

State funerals were organized for the following individuals (listed by category roughly according to their standing in the Indian order of precedence):

;Presidents of India (died in office):
* Dr. Zakir Hussain (1969)
* Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (1977)

;Vice Presidents of India (died in office):
* Krishan Kant (2002)

;Prime Ministers of India (died in office):
* Jawaharlal Nehru (1964)
* Lal Bahadur Shastri (1966)
* Indira Gandhi (1984)

;Former Presidents of India:
* Rajendra Prasad (1963)
* A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (2015)
* Pranab Mukherjee (2020)

;Former Prime Ministers of India:
* Charan Singh (1987)
* Rajiv Gandhi (1991)
* Morarji Desai (1995)
* Gulzarilal Nanda (1998)
* P. V. Narasimha Rao (2004)
* Chandra Shekhar Singh (2007)
* Vishwanath Pratap Singh (2008)
* Inder Kumar Gujral (2012)
* Atal Bihari Vajpayee (2018)

;Cabinet Ministers of India (died in office)
* Ananth Kumar (2018)

;Former Cabinet Ministers of India
* Arun Jaitley (2019)

;Chief Ministers of India (died in office):
* Gopinath Bordoloi, Chief Minister of Assam (1950)
* Ravishankar Shukla, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh (1956)
* Sri Krishna Singh, Chief Minister of Bihar (1961)
* Bidhan Chandra Roy, Chief Minister of West Bengal (1962)
* Marotrao Kannamwar, Chief Minister of Maharastra (1963)
* Balwantrai Mehta, Chief Minister of Gujarat (1965)
* C. N. Annadurai, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (1969)
* Dayanand Bandodkar, Chief Minister of Goa (1973)
* Barkatullah Khan, Chief Minister of Rajasthan (1973)
* Sheikh Abdullah, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir (state), Jammu and Kashmir (1982)
* M. G. Ramachandran, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (1987)
* Chimanbhai Patel, Chief Minister of Gujarat (1994)
* Beant Singh (politician), Beant Singh, Chief Minister of Punjab (1995)
* Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Chief Minister of Erstwhile Andhra Pradesh (2009)
* Dorjee Khandu, Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh (2011)
* Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir (state) (2016)
* J. Jayalalithaa, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (2016)
* Manohar Parrikar, Chief Minister of Goa (2019)

;Former Chief Ministers of India:
* P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja, Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (1957)
* Tanguturi Prakasam, Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (1957)
* O. P. Ramaswamy Reddiyar, Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (1970)
* C. Rajagopalachari, Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and last Governor-General of India from 1948 to 1950 (1972)
* K. Kamaraj, Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (1975)
* M. Bhaktavatsalam, Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (1987)
* N. T. Rama Rao, Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (1996)
* E.K. Mawlong, E. K. Mawlong, Former Chief Minister of Meghalaya (2008)
* Jyoti Basu, Former Chief Minister of West Bengal (2010)
* M. Karunanidhi, Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (2018)
* N. D. Tiwari, Former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand (2018)
* Madan Lal Khurana, Former Chief Minister of Delhi (2018)
* Sheila Dikshit, Former Chief Minister of Delhi (2019)
* Sushma Swaraj, Former Chief Minister of Delhi (2019)
* Jagannath Mishra, Former Chief Minister of Bihar (2019)
* Babulal Gaur, Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh (2019)
* Tarun Gogoi, Former Chief Minister of Assam (2020)
* Kalyan Singh, Former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (2021)
* Mulayam Singh Yadav, Former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (2022)

;Former Chief Justices of India:
* Y.V. Chandrachud (2008)

;Holders of the Bharat Ratna:
* Mother Teresa (1997)
* Bhimsen Joshi (2011)
* Lata Mangeshkar (2022)

;Former Ministers of State
* Gurudas Kamat (2018)

;Chief of Defence Staff (died in office)
*General (India), General Bipin Rawat (2021)

;Former Chiefs of Staff of the Indian Armed Forces:
* Field marshal (India), Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw (2008)
* Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh (2017)

;Former cabinet ministers in states
* Nandamuri Harikrishna (2018)
* K. M. Mani (2019)

Other personalities who received a state funeral:
* Mahatma Gandhi (1948)
* Sivaji Ganesan (2001)
* Dr. Rajkumar, Dr Raj Kumar (2006)
* Gangubai Hangal (2009)
* Sathya Sai Baba (2011)
* Bal Thackeray (2012)
* Sarabjeet Singh (2013)
* Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin (2014)
* Javare Gowda (2016)
* Kishori Amonkar (2017)
* Shashi Kapoor (2017)
* Sridevi (2018)
* Dada J. P. Vaswani (2018)
* Ajit Wadekar (2018)
* Shivakumara Swami (2019)
* Vishwesha Teertha (2019)
* Jasraj, Pandit Jasraj (2020)
*Bannanje Govindacharya (2020)
*Roddam Narasimha (2020)
*Vivek (actor), Vivek (2021)
*Milkha Singh (2021)
*Dilip Kumar (2021)
*Puneeth Rajkumar (2021)
*Rahul Bajaj (2022)
*Shivkumar Sharma (2022)
In the event of death of either the Head of the State or Head of the Government of a foreign country the Indian Mission accredited to that country may fly the national flag at half-mast. In the case of Pope John Paul II, India declared a three-day official mourning period.

Indonesia

In Indonesia, a state funeral is conducted with military protocols and ceremonial process involving the playing of the patriotic song "Gugur Bunga" and the attendance of high-ranking officials of the government and also ambassadors of foreign countries. A state funeral is conducted when the President, Vice President (in office or former), First Lady, or equivalent has died. A national day of mourning will be announced and the nation will fly the national flag at Half mast#Indonesia, Half mast. If not requested personally, officially the deceased will be buried at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery in Jakarta.

The state funeral will broadcast nationwide by state or private television stations. A military Guard of Honour tasked to the "State Protocol Escort Battalion" (''Batalyon Pengawal Protokoler Kenegaraan'' "Yonwalprotneg") from the Paspampres, Presidential Security Force will be the primary guard of honour involved in this procession wearing Red coat (military uniform), red tasked to become Pallbearers. State funerals has been arranged on the respective dates:
* Sudirman (30 January 1950)
* The seven victims of the 30 September Movement (5 October 1965)
* Sukarno (22 June 1970)
* Mohammad Hatta (15 March 1980)
* Hamengkubuwono IX (8 October 1988)
* Siti Hartinah, Tien Suharto (29 April 1996)
* Suharto (28 January 2008)
* Abdurrahman Wahid (31 December 2009)
* Ani Yudhoyono (1 June 2019)
* B. J. Habibie (12 September 2019)

Iran

* Reza Shah (May 1950)
* Ali Razmara (9 March 1951)
* Hassan-Ali Mansur (27 January 1965)
* Mohammad Ali Rajai and Mohammad Javad Bahonar (30 August 1981)
* Ruhollah Khomeini (5 June 1989) - Ruhollah Khomeini#Death and funeral, funeral attracted over 3 million people.
* Mohammad-Reza Mahdavi Kani (23 October 2014)
* Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani (10 January 2017) - Death and state funeral of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, funeral attracted over 2 million people.
* Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi (26 December 2018)

Japan

In Japan, before the Second World War, a state funeral was performed when an Imperial edict is issued. Since then, funerals of the Emperor and the other members of the Imperial Family were privately organized, and only certain portions of the funeral involved the state.

Formal state funeral

* Okubo Toshimichi (1878)
* Iwakura Tomomi (1883)
* Shimazu Hisamitsu (1887)
* Sanjō Sanetomi (1891)
* Prince Arisugawa Taruhito (1895)
* Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa (1895)
* Mouri Motonori (1896)
* Empress Eishō (1897)
* Shimazu Tadayoshi (2nd) (1898)
* Prince Komatsu Akihito (1903)
* Itō Hirobumi (1909)
* Emperor Meiji (1912)
* Prince Arisugawa Takehito (1913)
* Ōyama Iwao (1916)
* Gojong of Korea (1919)
* Yamagata Aritomo (1922)
* Prince Fushimi Sadanaru (1923)
* Matsukata Masayoshi (1924)
* Sunjong of Korea (1926)
* Emperor Taishō (1926)
* Tōgō Heihachirō (1934)
* Saionji Kinmochi (1940)
* Isoroku Yamamoto (1943)
* Prince Kan'in Kotohito (1945)
* Empress Teimei (1951)
* Shigeru Yoshida (1967)
* Death and funeral of Emperor Shōwa, Emperor Shōwa (1989)
* Shinzō Abe (2022)

Funeral where the state is involved

* Ōkuma Shigenobu (1922)
* Kijūrō Shidehara (1951)
* Yukio Ozaki (1954)
* Tsuneo Matsudaira (1954)
* Eisaku Satō (1975)
* Masayoshi Ōhira (1980)
* Nobusuke Kishi (1987)
* Takeo Miki (1988)
* Akira Ono (1990)
* Takeo Fukuda (1995)
* Keizō Obuchi (2000)
* Zenkō Suzuki (2004)
* Ryutaro Hashimoto (2006)
* Kiichi Miyazawa (2007)
* Takeo Nishioka (2011)
* Yasuhiro Nakasone (2020)

New Zealand

Traditionally, state funerals are reserved for all former Governor-General of New Zealand, Governors-General, as well as Prime Minister of New Zealand, Prime Ministers who die in office, such as John Ballance in 1893, Joseph Ward in 1930 and Michael Joseph Savage in 1940.Barry Gustafson, ''From the Cradle to the Grave: A biography of Michael Joseph Savage'', Reed Methuen, Auckland, 1986, p. 271. The funeral of John Ballance occurred in Whanganui after a lying in state in the New Zealand Parliament and a rail journey from Wellington. It was a Masonic funeral carried out at the Whanganui cemetery where he was interred. Both funerals of Ward and Savage were held in Sacred Heart Cathedral, Wellington, Sacred Heart Cathedral adjacent to the New Zealand Parliament. In the case of Savage, his body lay in state in the Parliament building, where 50,000 people filed past it, before the Requiem Mass at the cathedral. Others to receive state funerals include Truby King, Sir Frederic Truby King (1937) who founded the Plunket Society, the unidentified victims of the Tangiwai rail disaster (1953), Victoria Cross recipient Jack Hinton (1997), the mountaineer Edmund Hillary, Sir Edmund Hillary (2008) and the New Zealand Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, Unknown Warrior whose reinterment (from the Battle of the Somme, Caterpillar Valley Cemetery on the Somme in France) took place on Armistice Day, 11 November 2004 and whose tomb at the National War Memorial (New Zealand), New Zealand National War Memorial represents all New Zealand soldiers who died in war. The offer of a state funeral was refused by the family of former Prime Minister David Lange.

North Korea

State funerals are infrequent in North Korea. Funerals, and who appears on official funeral committees, are considered important cues on power hierarchies of North Korean politics. According to a tradition inherited from the Soviet Union, the chairperson of the funeral committee of a deceased leader of North Korea is beyond all doubt the next leader. This held true when Death and state funeral of Kim Il-sung, Kim Il-sung died in 1994 and was succeeded by Kim Jong-il, who in turn was succeeded by Kim Jong-un in 2011.
*
* Jang Kil-bu
* Ho Hon (1951)
* Hong Won-kil (1976)
* Nam Il (1976)
* Choe Yong-gon (army commander) (1976)
* Jang Chol-gu (1982)
* Kim Il (politician), Kim Il (1984), whose funeral committee consisted of 69 people.
* Rim Chun-chu (1988), whose funeral committee consisted of 57 people.
* Choe Tok-sin (1989), whose funeral committee consisted of 23 people.
* So Chol (1992)
* Kang Hui-won (1994)
* Death and state funeral of Kim Il-sung (1994), whose funeral committee consisted of 273 people.
* O Jin-u (1995), whose funeral committee consisted of 240.
* Choe Kwang (1997), whose funeral committee consisted of 85 people.
* Kim Kwang-jin (politician), Kim Kwang-jin (1997)
* Ri Jong-ok (1999), whose funeral committee consisted of 60 people.
* Kim Pyong-sik (1999), whose funeral committee consisted of 18 people.
* Jon Mun-sop (1999)
* Choi Hong-hui (2002), whose funeral committee consisted of 14 people.
* Ri Tu-ik (2002)
* Yon Hyong-muk (2005), whose funeral committee consisted of 49 people.
* Pak Song-chol (2008), whose funeral committee consisted of 65 people.
* Hong Song-nam (2009), whose funeral committee consisted of 35 people.
* Kim Jung-rin (2010), whose funeral committee consisted of 41 people.
* Jo Myong-rok (2010), whose funeral committee consisted of 171 people.
* (2011), whose funeral committee consisted of 47 people.
* Death and state funeral of Kim Jong-il (2011), whose funeral committee consisted of 232 people.
* Kim Kuk-thae (2013), whose funeral committee consisted of 54 people.
* Jon Pyong-ho (2014), whose funeral committee consisted 89 of people.
* Kim Yang-gon (2015), whose funeral committee consisted of 70 people.
* Ri Ul-sol (2015), whose funeral committee consisted of 169 people.
* Kang Sok-ju (2016), whose funeral committee consisted of 53 people.
* Ryu Mi-yong (2016), whose funeral committee consisted of 11 people.
* Kang Ki-sop (2017)
* Kim Yong-chun (2018), whose funeral committee consisted of 149 people.
* Kim Chol-man (2018), whose funeral committee consisted of 71 people.
* Hwang Sun-hui (2020), whose funeral committee consisted of 69 people.
* Hyon Chol-hae (2022), whose funeral committee consisted of 184 people.

Pakistan

Pakistan held the state funerals for the following people:
* Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1948) Father of the Nation
* Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (1988) (Died in Office) Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)
* Mushaf Ali Mir (2003) (Died in Office) Chief of Air Staff (Pakistan)
* Anwar Shamim (2013) Chief of Air Staff (Pakistan)
* Abdul Sattar Edhi (2016) Edhi Foundation
* Ruth Pfau (2017) Physician
* Asghar Khan (2018) Chief of Air Staff (Pakistan)
* Abdul Qadeer Khan (2021) Nuclear physics

Philippines

The Philippines held the state funerals for the following people:
* Manuel L. Quezon (1944) – List of presidents of the Philippines, 2nd President of the Philippines (1935–44): died in office
* Manuel Roxas (1948) – 5th President of the Philippines (1946–48): died in office
* Elpidio Quirino (1956) – 6th President of the Philippines (1948–53)
* Ramon Magsaysay (1957) – 7th President of the Philippines (1953–57): died in office
* Jose P. Laurel (1959) – 3th President of the Philippines (1943–45)
* Sergio Osmeña (1961) – 4th President of the Philippines (1944–46)
* Emilio Aguinaldo (1964) – 1st President of the Philippines (1899–1901)
* Carlos P. Garcia (1971) – 8th President of the Philippines (1957–61)
* Benigno Aquino Jr. (1983) – Senator of the Philippines (1967–72)
* Carlos P. Romulo (1985) – Secretary of Foreign Affairs (Philippines), Secretary of Foreign Affairs (1968–84)
* Diosdado Macapagal (1997) – 9th President of the Philippines (1961–65)
* Blas Ople (2003) – Secretary of Foreign Affairs (2002–03): died in office
* Jaime Sin (2005) – 30th Archbishop of Manila (1974–2005)
* Corazon Aquino (2009) – 11th President of the Philippines (1986–92)
* Perla Santos-Ocampo (2012) – National Scientist of the Philippines
* Jesse Robredo (2012) – Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, Secretary of Interior and Local Government (2010–12): died in office
* Miriam Defensor Santiago (2016) – Senate of the Philippines, Senator of the Philippines (1995–2001; 2004–16)
* Benigno Aquino III (2021) – 15th President of the Philippines (2010–16)
* Ramon Barba (2021) – National Scientist of the Philippines
* F. Sionil José (2022) – National Artist of the Philippines
* Fidel V. Ramos (planned, 2022) – 12th President of the Philippines (1992–98)

Singapore

A state funeral was arranged for the following people on their deathbed on the respective date:
* Ahmad Ibrahim (Singaporean politician), Ahmad Ibrahim (21 August 1962) - Minister of Health and Labour
* Yusof Ishak (23 November 1970) - 1st President of Singapore
* Benjamin Henry Sheares (12 May 1981) - 2nd President of Singapore
* Wee Kim Wee (2 May 2005) - 4th President of Singapore
* S. Rajaratnam (25 February 2006) - former Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore
* Goh Keng Swee (23 May 2010) - former Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore
* Kwa Geok Choo (2 October 2010) - spouse of Lee Kuan Yew
* Lee Kuan Yew (23 March 2015) - 1st Prime Minister of Singapore
* S. R. Nathan (22 August 2016) - 6th President of Singapore

Another type of funeral in Singapore is a state-assisted funeral. Similar to a state funeral, the deceased may or may not be entitled to a ceremonial gun carriage, though he/she does not lie in state in the Istana (Singapore), Istana. Such funerals are accorded to:
* Ong Teng Cheong (11 February 2002) - 5th President of Singapore
* Lim Kim San (20 July 2006) - former Cabinet Minister
* Toh Chin Chye (7 February 2012) - former Deputy Prime Minister
* Othman Wok (17 April 2017) - former Cabinet Minister

South Korea

State funerals in South Korea are a mix of the Western and Korean funeral traditions, these are modern adaptations of the rites held in the funerals of Emperors of Korea.
* Park Chung-hee (1979)
* Choi Kyu-hah (2006)
* Roh Moo-hyun (2009)
* Kim Dae-jung (2009)
* Kim Young-sam (2015)
* Roh Tae-woo (2021)
* 155 victims died in Seoul Halloween crowd crush (2022)

Thailand

In Thailand, state funerals are mostly analogous to the Thai royal funeral, royal funerals held for the King of Thailand, monarch and members of the Thai Royal Family, Royal Family. Royal ceremonies are also held for the cremation of the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand, supreme patriarch and senior members of the Buddhist clergy. There is no official royal or state ceremony for deceased prime ministers or other senior government officials, but the king may sponsor funerals of such persons by royally attending the funeral, bestowing the use of a ''kot'' (funerary urn), royally bestowing bathing water for the body, and royally sponsoring cremations or burials.

Vietnam

In Vietnam, state funerals are held for former or current General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, General Secretary of Communist Party, President of Vietnam, President, Prime minister of Vietnam, Prime minister and Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam, Chairperson of National Assembly.

In addition, the Politburo decided to organize the national funeral for others who have made great contributions and merits to the revolutionary cause of the party, state and people, having a great reputation domestically and internationally.

A state funeral was arranged for the following people on their deathbed on the respective date:

* Huỳnh Thúc Kháng (1947)
* Hồ Chí Minh (1969)
* Nguyễn Lương Bằng (1979)
* Tôn Đức Thắng (1980)
* Lê Duẩn (1986)
* Phạm Hùng (1988)
* Trường Chinh (1988)
* Lê Đức Thọ (1990)
* Nguyễn Hữu Thọ (1996)
* Nguyễn Văn Linh (1998)
* Lê Quang Đạo (1999)
* Phạm Văn Đồng (2000)
* Võ Văn Kiệt (2008)
* Võ Chí Công (2011)
* Võ Nguyên Giáp (2013)
* Phan Văn Khải (2018)
* Trần Đại Quang (2018)
* Đỗ Mười (2018)
* Lê Đức Anh (2019)
* Lê Khả Phiêu (2020)

In Vietnam, in a State Funeral, all national flags at governmental agencies worldwide, including public schools, hospitals, etc., will be tied to the pole by a black ribbon with the length equaling to the length of the flag, and the width equaling to one tenth of the flag, and the flag will be flown at half mast. Finally all entertainment are officially suspended within the days of the State Funeral.

Europe

Belgium

State funerals in Belgium need three conditions: playing the national anthem, the presence of the King or one of his representatives and the presence of the national flag on the coffin. State funerals were held for all the kings and queens of Belgium, for some royal family members and for former prime ministers.

Belarus

Denmark

On 29 August 1945, two years after the German occupation force in Denmark had dissolved the Danish army and navy, a state funeral was held for 106 killed members of the Danish resistance at their execution site which was thus inaugurated as the memorial cemetery that would later become Ryvangen Memorial Park. While flags were flying half-mast throughout Copenhagen 106 hearses drove from the Royal Stables (Denmark), Christiansborg Riding Grounds through the city to Ryvangen, where bishop Hans Fuglsang-Damgaard led the funeral with participation from the royal family, the Cabinet of Vilhelm Buhl II, government and representatives of the resistance movement.

Czech Republic

A state funeral was held for the former President Václav Havel in 2011.
A funeral with state honors was held for singer Karel Gott in 2019.

Finland

In Finland state funerals are primarily reserved for former presidents but the honour has been granted to long-serving prime ministers, speakers of the parliament, and other distinguished citizens as well. In the 1990s the criteria for awarding a state funeral were considerably specified, so as not to diminish the prestige of the affair.

79 people have been awarded the honour of state funeral, among them:
* 1921 Juhani Aho, author, the first person honoured with a state funeral in Finland
* 1926 Eino Leino, author and poet
* 1947 Vera Hjelt, member of Parliament, pioneer of work safety in Finland
* 1951 Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, the Marshal of Finland and the 6th President of Finland
* 1952 Miina Sillanpää, the first female minister in Finland
* 1956 Risto Ryti, the 5th President of Finland
* 1957 Jean Sibelius, composer
* 1966 Hannes Kolehmainen, the first Finnish Olympic medalist (long-distance running)
* 1966 Wäinö Aaltonen, sculptor
* 1973 Paavo Nurmi, the most successful Finnish Olympic medalist (long-distance running)
* 1976 Armas Taipale, Olympic medalist (discus)
* 1980 Rafael Paasio, former Prime Minister and Speaker of the Parliament
* 1982 Ville Ritola, Olympic medalist (long-distance running)
* 1986 Urho Kekkonen, the 8th President of Finland
* 1987 Ella Eronen, actress
* 1989 Tapani Niku, Olympic medalist (cross-country skiing)
* 1990 Ahti Karjalainen, former Prime Minister
* 1992 Väinö Linna, author
* 1995 Väinö Valve, general
* 2000 Johannes Virolainen, former Prime Minister, Counsellor of State
* 2004 Kalevi Sorsa, former Prime Minister
* 2004 Adolf Ehrnrooth, General of the Infantry
* 2011 Harri Holkeri, former Prime Minister, Counsellor of State
* 2017 Mauno Koivisto, the 9th President of Finland

France

The state funerals (''obsèques nationales'') are awarded by decree of the President of the French Republic to especially eminent Frenchmen and women. It was held for writers Victor Hugo (1885), Maurice Barrès (1923), Paul Valéry (1945), Colette (1954) and Aimé Césaire (2008), Generals Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, Jacques Leclerc (1947), Henri Giraud, Giraud (1949) et Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, de Lattre de Tassigny (1952) and politicians Georges Coulon (1912), Albert Lebrun (1951), Léon Blum (1951), Édouard Herriot (1957) and Charles Aznavour#Death and funeral, Charles Aznavour (2018) An even higher honour is burial in the Panthéon de Paris.

Ireland

Italy

In Italy state funerals are granted by law to the Presidents of the constitutional entities, such as the President of Italy, Presidency, the Italian Parliament, Parliament, the Prime Minister of Italy, Government and the Constitutional Court (Italy), Constitutional Court, even after their terms have expired, and to Cabinet of Italy, Ministers who died during their term in office. State Funerals can also be granted, by decree of the Cabinet of Italy, Council of Ministers, to people who gave particular services to the Italy, country; to Italian citizenship, citizens that brought honor to the Italy, nation; or to Italian citizenship, citizens who died in the line of duty, or were victims of either terrorism, or organized crime.

The official protocol provides for
* the coffin surrounded by six members in high uniform of either the Carabinieri or the same Armed forces of Italy, Armed Force the departed belonged to;
* an Guard of honour, honor guard to the coffin at the entrance and the exit of the place in which the ceremony is held;
* the presence of one representative of the Cabinet of Italy, Government;
* an official commemorative oration;
* other honors that can be arranged by the Prime minister of Italy, Prime Minister.

For the funeral of the President of Italy, President or a List of Presidents of Italy, former President the six members of the Carabinieri, who carry the coffin, belong to the special branch of the Corazzieri.

Public mourning, either National day of mourning, national or Mourning, local, is declared following the dispositions of the Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister's decrees. The Flag of Italy, flags are flown at half-mast outside of public buildings, while inside they display two Black ribbon#Sign of mourning, black ribbons, with the exceptions provided for military flags, when required by military protocol. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Italy), Ministry of Foreign Affairs gives instructions to the List of diplomatic missions of Italy, Italian embassies and consulates around the world, and can ask the Foreign relations of Italy, foreign embassies and consulates in Italy to fly their List of flags, flags at half-mast.

If the departed held a public office, the body can Lying in state, lie in state in the building of the office's institution. In other cases it is followed the will of the family, the traditions of the office or the local customs. The family of the departed chooses the place in which the funeral will take place, in consultations with the Cabinet of Italy, Government's Department of State Ceremonies.

Outside of the cases provided for by the protocol, for example during Natural disaster, natural events that deeply impact the community, solemn funerals can be arranged and the six people who carry the coffins are members of the Protezione Civile, Civil Protection.

Lithuania

6th Oct, 2018 - Adolfas Ramanauskas, Adolfas Ramanauskas-Vanagas - leader of Resistance in Lithuania during World War II, Lithuanian resistance.

22nd Nov, 2019 - Zygmunt Sierakowski, Konstanty Kalinowski - leaders of the Polish, Lithuanian and Belarusian national revival and the leader of the January Uprising in lands of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and other 18 partipaciants of revival.

Malta

State Funerals have been held for presidents, prime ministers and archbishops.

The last state funeral held for the President of Malta was that of Censu Tabone in March 2012.

The last state funeral held for the Prime Minister of Malta was that of Dom Mintoff in August 2012.

Netherlands

The royal funerals of Prince Claus, Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard are the only royal funerals that were denoted state funerals; previous royal funerals were considered private affairs. The only non-royal Dutchman who is considered to have received a state funeral was J. B. van Heutsz, Joannes van Heutsz in 1927.

North Macedonia

Since proclaiming independence in 1991, by law the presidents and prime ministers are entitled to a funeral with state honors, but by a decision of government its possible for other senior officials and distinguished persons with great merit for the state to be buried with state honors.
The largest state funeral was held in 2004 for President Boris Trajkovski and the funeral was attended by 47 foreign delegations. Among others that are buried with state honors, are the first prime minister of independent Macedonia Nikola Kljusev and the famous singer Toše Proeski.

Poland

Poland held a state funeral for President of Poland Lech Kaczyński and his wife, Maria Kaczyńska, on April 18, 2010, after he and 95 others perished in a 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash, plane crash.

Russia

In Russia, during the time of the Soviet Union (1917-1991), the state funerals of the most senior political and military leaders were staged as massive events with millions of mourners all over the USSR. The ceremonies held after the deaths as Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Leonid Brezhnev, Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko all followed the same basic outline. They took place in Moscow, began with a public lying in state of the deceased in the House of the Unions and ended with an interment at the Red Square. The most notable examples of such state funerals during the Soviet period of Russian history are the ceremonies that were held for Lenin and Stalin, and for the death and funeral of Leonid Brezhnev.

In the second half of the 20th century, whenever a General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union died, the event would first be officially acknowledged by Soviet radio and television. After several days of national mourning, the deceased would be given a state funeral and then buried. Soviet state funerals were often attended by foreign heads of state, heads of government, foreign ministers and other dignitaries from abroad. Following the death of General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev in 1982, there were five days of national mourning. Following the death of General Secretary Yuri Andropov in 1984, a four-day period of nationwide mourning was announced.

The state funeral for a deceased General Secretary would be arranged, managed and prepared by a special committee of the Communist Party that would be formed for the occasion. As the funeral committee would normally be chaired by the deceased's successor, the preparations for Soviet state funerals were usually followed with great interest by foreign political scientists trying to gauge power shuffles within the Communist Party. The allocation of responsibilities during the funeral, appointment of pallbearers and positions within the order of precedence observed during the televised funeral ceremonies in Moscow could often be interpreted as a clue for the future position of Politburo members within the Party. When, after Brezhnev's death in 1982, Yuri Andropov was elected chairman of the committee in charge of Brezhnev's funeral, this was seen as a first sign by First World commentators that Andropov might be the most likely candidate for the position of General Secretary.

Prior to interment, the body of the deceased General Secretary would lie in state in the Pillar Hall of the House of the Unions which was decorated by numerous red flag (politics), red flags and other communist symbolism, communist symbols. The mourners, which usually would be brought in by the thousands, shuffled up a marble staircase beneath chandeliers draped in black gauze. On the stage at the left side of the Pillar Hall, amid a veritable garden of flowers, a full orchestra in black tailcoats would play classical music. The deceased's embalmed body, dressed in a black suit, white shirt and a tie, would be displayed in an open coffin on a catafalque banked with carnations, red roses and tulips, facing the long queue of mourners. A small guard of honour would be in attendance in the background. At the right side of the hall there would be placed seats for guests of honour, with the front row reserved for the dead leader's family.

On the day of the funeral, final ceremonies would be held at the Pillar Hall during which the lid of the coffin would be temporarily closed. The coffin would then be carried out of the House of the Unions and placed on a gun carriage drawn by a military vehicle. A funeral parade would then convey the coffin from the House of the Unions to the Red Square. Two officers led the funeral parade, carrying a large portrait of the deceased, followed by a group of numerous soldiers carrying red floral wreaths. A group of general officers would come next, carrying the late leader's decorations and medals on small red cushions. Behind them, the coffin rested atop a gun carriage. Walking immediately behind were the members of the deceased's family. The Politburo leaders, wearing red armbands, came next and led the last group of official mourners. At Brezhnev's funeral, the escort of official mourners included forty-four persons.

As the coffin reached the middle of the Red Square, it would be removed from the carriage and placed on a red-draped bier facing the Lenin Mausoleum, with its lid removed. After a series of funeral speeches, which were delivered by military and political leaders (typically including the deceased's successor as General Secretary, as well as 'ordinary' workers) from the balcony of the Lenin Mausoleum, the coffin would be carried in a procession around the mausoleum to the Kremlin Wall Necropolis just behind it. There, with the most senior mourners looking on, the coffin would be placed on a red-draped bier and the mourners would pay last respects. The coffin's lid would then be closed for the final time and the body lowered into the ground by two men, with handfuls of earth thrown onto the coffin by the senior mourners. The grave would be filled in immediately afterward, while the mourners were still present to watch. Gun salutes would be fired, Siren (noisemaker), sirens sounded around the Kremlin and the National Anthem of the Soviet Union, Soviet national anthem be played. This marked the end of the interment. The senior mourners would then return to the balcony of the Lenin Mausoleum to review a parade on Red Square while the military band would play March (music), quick marches. This concluded the state funeral.

With small deviations, the described protocol was roughly the same for the state funerals of Lenin, Stalin, Brezhnev, Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko. Lenin and Stalin were placed inside the Lenin Mausoleum while the others were interred in individual graves in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis located behind the mausoleum along the actual Moscow Kremlin Wall, Kremlin wall. Stalin's body would lie beside Lenin's in the mausoleum until being moved to the Kremlin Wall Necropolis several years after his death.

In April 2007, Russian Federation's first President Boris Yeltsin was buried in state funeral after church ceremony at Novodevichy Cemetery. He was the first Russian leader and head of state in 113 years to be buried in a church ceremony, after Czar, Emperor Alexander III of Russia. His funeral is the template for all state funerals held in Russia today, but with the addition of prayers at the moment of burial by representatives of the Orthodox Church. In November 2010, Russian Federation's Third Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin Was Buried In A State Funeral In A Church Ceremony Novodevichy Cemetery. He Was The Third Prime Minister Of The Russian Federation And Was Considered The Second Longest Prime Minister In The Russian Federation For 6 Years. In June 2015, Russian Federation's Fourth Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov Was Buried In A State Funeral In A Church Ceremony Novodevichy Cemetery. In April 2022, The Founder Of The Liberal Democratic Party of Russia Vladimir Zhirinovsky Was Buried In A State Funeral In A Church Ceremony Novodevichy Cemetery, He Was The Founder And The Longest Serving Leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia For 29 Years During The Time.

Slovakia

A state funeral was held for the former President Michal Kováč in 2016.

Switzerland

In 1960, the funeral procession of Henri Guisan gathered more than 120,000 people in Lausanne.

United Kingdom

A state or ceremonial funeral consists of a military procession where the coffin is borne on a gun carriage from the private resting chapel to Westminster Hall. In a state funeral the Royal Navy State Funeral Gun Carriage, gun carriage is pulled by members of the Royal Navy. In a royal ceremonial funeral, the gun carriage is pulled by horses, as opposed to servicemen. The body usually lies in state in Westminster Hall for three days. This is then followed by a funeral service at Westminster Abbey or St. Paul's Cathedral. Many of the features of a state funeral are shared by other types of funerals—a royal ceremonial funeral (for example, those of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and Diana, Princess of Wales) often has a lying in state and Westminster Abbey service. The real distinction between a state funeral and a royal ceremonial funeral is that a state funeral requires a motion or vote in Parliament. State funerals are usually reserved for sovereigns, though on rare occasions, they may be granted to distinguished citizens with exceptional contributions to the country. Other members of the royal family, or occasionally politicians, typically receive ceremonial funerals instead.

The most recent state funeral was that of Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II in 2022. Prior to this, the most recent was the state funeral of Winston Churchill in 1965. Diana, Princess of Wales the mother of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, William and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Harry received a ceremonial funeral in 1997. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Margaret Thatcher, Margaret, Baroness Thatcher and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh also received ceremonial funerals.

Former Yugoslavia

A massive state funeral was held for the late President Josip Broz Tito on 8 May 1980 in Belgrade, the capital city of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, SFR Yugoslavia. It was the largest funeral of a statesman in the 20th century, with 129 delegations from all around the world. Tito's funeral drew many statesmen to Belgrade. Notably absent statesmen from funeral were Jimmy Carter and Fidel Castro. His death came in the moment when Soviet–Afghan War, Soviet invasion of Afghanistan ended American-Soviet détente. Yugoslavia, although a communist state, was non-aligned during the Cold War and fearful that the nation might be invaded like Czechoslovakia and Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, Afghanistan. After learning that Chinese Premier Hua Guofeng would lead the delegation of China, ailing Leonid Brezhnev decided to lead the Soviet delegation. In order to avoid meeting with Leonid Brezhnev and the middle of electoral campaign for the 1980 United States Presidential election, Carter opted to send his mother Lillian Gordy Carter, Lilian Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale as heads of the US delegation. After realizing that leaders of all Warsaw Pact nations would attend the funeral, Carter's decision was criticized by Presidential candidate George H. W. Bush as sign that the United States "inferentially slams Yugoslavs at time that country has pulled away from Soviet Union". Carter visited Yugoslavia later in June 1980 and made a visit to Tito's grave.Jimmy Carter: "Yugoslavia: Conclusion of State Visit Joint Statement. ", June 29, 1980. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=44655.

Helmut Schmidt, Chancellor of West Germany was the most active statesman, meeting with Brezhnev, Erich Honecker and Edward Gierek. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher sought to rally world leaders in order to harshly condemn the Soviet invasion. While she was in Belgrade, she held talks with Kenneth Kaunda, Schmidt, Francesco Cossiga and Nicolae Ceaușescu. Brezhnev met with Kim Il-sung and Honecker. James Callaghan, President of the British Labour Party explained his presence in Belgrade as an attempt to warm relations between his party and Yugoslav communists, severed more than a decade ago after dissident Milovan Djilas, Milovan Đilas was welcomed by Jennie Lee, Baroness Lee of Asheridge, Jennie Lee, Minister for the Arts under Harold Wilson. Mondale avoided Soviets, ignoring Brezhnev while passing close to him. Soviet and Chinese delegations also avoided each other.

Tito was interred on May 8 twice. The first interment was for cameras and dignitaries. The grave was shallow with only a 200 kg replica of the sarcophagus. The second interment was held privately during the night. His coffin was removed and shallow grave was deepened. The coffin was enclosed with a copper mask and interred again into a much deeper grave which was sealed with cement and topped with a 9-ton sarcophagus. Communist officials were afraid that someone might steal the corpse, similarly to what happened to Charlie Chaplin. However, the 9 ton sarcophagus had to be put in place with a crane, which would make funeral unattractive.

Gallery

File:Funeral Cortege of Richard II.jpg, A drawing depicting the funeral cortege of Richard II of England leaving Pontefract Castle, 1468.
File:Funeral Elisabeth.jpg, A drawing by William Camden depicting the funeral cortège of Queen Elizabeth I of England, 1603.
File:Marie Louise of Orléans, Queen of Spain, lying in state (1689), by Sebastián Muñoz.JPG, A drawing by Sebastián Muñoz depicting the lying in state of Princess Marie Louise of Orléans (1662–1689), Queen Maria Luisa of Spain, 1689.
File:Nelson State Funeral.jpg, The coffin of Horatio Nelson in the crossing of Saint Paul's Cathedral during his state funeral, with the dome hung with captured French and Spanish flags, 1806.
File:LincolnTrain.jpeg, The funeral train of Abraham Lincoln departing Washington, D.C., en route to Springfield, Illinois, for interment, 1865.
File:Lincoln funeral in New York City.jpg, A drawing depicting Abraham Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's funeral procession in New York City en route from Washington D.C. to Springfield, Illinois, 1865.
File:McGee Funeral.jpg, The funeral procession of Thomas D'Arcy McGee during his state funeral in Ottawa, Canada, 1868.
File:Garfield-casket.jpg, James A. Garfield, James A. Garfield's coffin lying in state on the Lincoln Catafalque in the United States Capitol Rotunda, 1881.
File:McKinley Capitol casket.jpg, An honor guard carrying the coffin of William McKinley up the east steps of the United States Capitol, 1901.
File:Funeral of Edward VII -1910 -cropped.JPG, The funeral procession of Edward VII of the United Kingdom in London, 1910.
File:General Funston's Death.png, The coffin of General Frederick Funston lying in state inside San Francisco City Hall in San Francisco, 1917.
File:Funeral Procession of Liliuokalani - Final Journey.jpg, The funeral procession of Liliuokalani in Honolulu, Hawaii, 1917.
File:Coffin of the Unknown Soldier being brought down steps.jpg, A departure ceremony held on the center steps at the United States Capitol Building as honor guards carry the coffin of the Tomb of the Unknowns#The Unknown of World War I, Unknown Soldier of World War I to limbers and caissons, 1921.
File:Enrico Caruso, 1873-1921, funeral at Church San Francisco de Paulo in Naples 3.png, The lying in state of Italian tenor Enrico Caruso at the Church San Francisco de Paulo in Naples, 1921.
File:HardingFuneral.jpg, A limbers and caissons carrying the remains of Warren G. Harding at the North Portico entrance of the White House before its procession down Pennsylvania Avenue en route to the United States Capitol Building, 1923.
File:Japan-State-Funeral-for-Marshal-Admiral-Isoroku-Yamamoto.png, The funeral procession for Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto in Tokyo, 1943.
File:Franklin Roosevelt funeral procession 1945.jpg, A caisson carrying the remains of Franklin D. Roosevelt proceeds down Pennsylvania Avenue towards the United States Capitol, 1945.
File:BenChifely lyinginstate 1951.jpg, The coffin of Ben Chifley, the 16th Prime Minister of Australia, lying in state inside King's Hall, Old Parliament House, Canberra, 1951.
File:Mannerheims funeral parade Helsinki.png, A funeral parade of Marshal Mannerheim in Helsinki, Finland, on February 4, 1951. Helsinki Lutheran Cathedral on the background.
File:Evita008-funeral.jpg, The funeral procession of former Argentinian First Lady Eva Peron, 1952.
File:JFKeastRoomnov23'63.jpg, The remains of John F. Kennedy lying in repose in the East Room of the White House, 1963.
File:JFKcapitolNov25'63.jpg, The caparisoned, riderless horse named Black Jack (horse), "Black Jack" during a departure ceremony held at the United States Capitol Building in conjunction with the state funeral of John F. Kennedy, 1963.
File:JFK's family leaves Capitol after his funeral, 1963.jpg, Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy seen following Jacqueline Kennedy as she leaves the United States Capitol with John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Caroline Kennedy, after viewing the lying in state of John F. Kennedy, 1963.
File:Funeral services for Dwight D. Eisenhower, March 1969.jpg, The remains of Dwight D. Eisenhower being carried down the center steps of the east front of the United States Capitol Building by honor guards, 1969.
File:Queen Mother Carriage.jpg, The funeral cortège of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother proceeds from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey, 2002.
File:Ronald Reagan casket on caisson during funeral procession.jpg, A caisson carrying the remains of Ronald Reagan down Constitution Avenue en route to the United States Capitol, 2004.
File:US Navy 040609-N-5471P-013 Symbolic of a fallen leader who will never ride again, the Caparisoned horse is led down Constitution Ave., following the Caisson carrying the body of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan.jpg, The caparisoned, riderless horse named Sergeant York during the ceremonial funeral procession of Ronald Reagan, with a ceremonial sword attached to the saddle and a pair of the president's boots reversed in the stirrups, 2004.
File:Giovanni Paolo II 0013.JPG, The body of Pope John Paul II lying in state at Saint Peter's Basilica, 2005.
File:Ford-capitol-rotunda.JPEG, The coffin of Gerald Ford lying in state in the rotunda of the United States Capitol during his state funeral, 2006.
File:Lech Kaczyński funeral.jpg, The coffin of President of Poland Lech Kaczyński is carried, 2010.
File:Exequias de Néstor Kirchner en Casa Rosada 2.jpg, Argentine President Cristina Fernández passing by the coffin of her husband Nestor Kirchner.
File:Margaret Thatcher coffin at St. Pauls X8A2604.jpg, Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Lady Margaret Thatcher's coffin being carried up the steps of St. Pauls Cathedral in the ceremonial funeral.
File:Thatchers funeral 5D3 0188.jpg, Margaret Thatcher's coffin being carried on a gun carriage, and escorted by her pallbearers.
File:State Funeral for 41st President George H. W. Bush Train Departure Ceremony 181206-A-EV635-500.jpg, A locomotive carrying the remains of George H. W. Bush en route to the College Station, 2018.

See also

* Abraham Lincoln's burial and exhumation
* Black Jack (horse), "Black Jack"
* Burial at Sea
* Catafalque
* Death and funeral of Corazon Aquino
* Death and funeral of Bhumibol Adulyadej
* Death and state funeral of Leonid Brezhnev
* Death and state funeral of Josip Broz Tito
* Death and state funeral of George H. W. Bush
* Death and state funeral of Gerald Ford
* Death and state funeral of King Hussein
* Death and state funeral of Lech Kaczyński and Maria Kaczyńska
* Death and state funeral of Néstor Kirchner
* Death and state funeral of Omar Bongo
* Death and state funeral of Pierre Trudeau
* Death and state funeral of Richard Nixon
* Death and state funeral of Ronald Reagan
* Death and state funeral of Nelson Mandela
* Death and state funeral of Fidel Castro
* Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II
* Funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales
* Funeral of Pope John Paul II
* Funeral train
* Limbers and caissons (military), Limbers and caissons
* Lincoln Catafalque
* Lying in repose
* Lying in state
* Military funeral
* Missing man formation
* Riderless horse
* State funeral of Edward VII
* State funeral of John F. Kennedy
* State funerals in Canada
* State funerals in the United States
* Vigil of the Princes

References

Further reading

*
*

External links

Royal Windsor Website account, including truth about The Gun Carriage, the horses and the sailors.

The traditions of a British state funeral






"STATE, OFFICIAL, AND SPECIAL MILITARY FUNERALS" by the U.S. Army


(CMH Pub 90–1) published by the United States Army Center of Military History

NSW Policy on State Funerals



* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071210221042/http://palaceoffice.gov.to/content/view/137/92/ Royal Funeral of King Tafa'ahau Tupou IV - Royal Palace Office]

Royal Palace Office - Tonga

{{DEFAULTSORT:State Funeral
Death customs
State funerals,
State ritual and ceremonies