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In my thesis, I examine funeral practices in nine Reformed congregations of Kalotaszeg, focusing on paraliturgical elements and their communal role. The topic is relevant from both ethnographic and theological perspectives, as it reveals living traditions of the congregations, shows how acts of diaconal service are expressed, and highlights local attitudes toward death and mourning. The research, based on questionnaires, explores the theological, cultural, and practical aspects of funeral customs, analyzing how these rites take shape in practice and how they involve grieving families, relatives, neighbors, church officials, and congregation members. My findings show that traditional community-based practices once centered around the family home have gradually been replaced by more formal and simplified customs, a process accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic and the rise of chapels.

This thesis investigates the paraliturgical practices associated with funerals in selected congregations of the Maros Reformed Church County. These customs, though situated outside the framework of the official funeral liturgy, nevertheless bear significant religious meaning—manifesting in practices such as night vigils, various forms of farewell, and communal support for the bereaved. The study examines both their theological and practical dimensions: how these practices are embodied in congregational life, how they interact with the Reformed funeral tradition, and what role they play within the grieving process. The overarching aim of the thesis is to enrich the understanding of Reformed ecclesiastical practice and tradition, with particular attention to perspectives on death and dying.