Difference Between Obituary and Eulogy

Obituary vs Eulogy

Death is a certainty that all living beings must face and, as such, people have developed rituals and customs that are practiced when someone close to them dies. There is the wake, religious rituals, prayers or services that are done every night.
Aside from this, the passing of a loved one also necessitates the publication of an obituary to inform relatives and friends who are living in other places about the death. This is published in newspapers or other available publications.
During the funeral service, when the deceased is finally put in his final resting place, a religious service is also conducted. It is during this time that a eulogy is also delivered.
A eulogy is a speech or a written praise of a dead person given by a close friend or a family member at his funeral. It can also be given to a living person during his birthday or other special occasions, such as, retirement in which case a senior co-worker can give it.
It is made for the purpose of remembering and bringing the deceased closer to those whom he has left behind and also to help them let go of their deceased loved one. It aims at providing an insight into the kind of person the deceased has been during his lifetime and sharing it with those who are present.
An obituary, on the other hand, is the story of the life of the deceased. The earliest obituaries only contained the name, birth date, date and cause of death, and the surviving family. In time it came to include brief biographies, poems, prayers, and pictures of the deceased.
An obituary is first and foremost an announcement of the death of a person. It provides information as to the time and date of services aside from the personal information about the deceased. It can be done by a family member or the funeral director.
It can be short, containing only a paragraph, or it can be long with several pages. Prominent persons usually have long obituaries which can contain information about their lives and work. This is also true with eulogies which can either be short or long.
Summary:

1.A eulogy is a speech given by a close friend or relative of the deceased while an obituary is an announcement of his death by a relative or the funeral director.
2.Both can either be long or short, containing only a paragraph or several paragraphs, but the obituary usually contains information about the deceased person’s life and work while a eulogy contains information on the kind of person the deceased was in his lifetime.
3.The main purpose of an obituary is to inform people about the death while the main purpose of a eulogy is to remember and celebrate the life of the deceased and to finally let go of him or her.
4.An obituary can only be made for a dead person while a eulogy can be made for a dead or a living person.

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