What to know about Jimmy Carter’s funeral

Jimmy Carter’s nearly week-long state funeral has officially begun after his death last month at the age of 100.

The six-day celebrations began on Saturday with a motorcade from Carter’s hometown of Plains, Georgia, to Atlanta, where he will rest in peace until he is transported to Washington, D.C.

Once all services are completed, Carter will be buried in his hometown alongside his wife, Rosalynn, who died last year at the age of 96.

Here’s what to know about funeral plans.

A state funeral is a national memorial event that commemorates the lives of Americans who have made a significant contribution to public life.

Most presidents receive this honor if their families agree.

It usually lasts seven to ten days and includes celebrations in the deceased’s hometown, as well as in Washington.

The last president to receive a state funeral was George H.W. Bush in 2018.

Two years later, former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg lay in state in the U.S. Capitol, 15 years after civil rights icon Rosa Parks. She became the first woman to receive this honor.

When astronaut Neil Armstrong died in 2012, there were calls for a state funeral, but his family instead chose a private ceremony in Ohio.

Memorial events for Carter, a Democrat who served as president from 1977 to 1981, will be divided into three parts.

They started in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, then would move to Washington and back to the southern state.

On January 4, a procession passed through the small town of Plains, Carter’s hometown, and stopped at his childhood home before heading to Atlanta, via the state Capitol, for a public service at the Carter Presidential Center.

Carter’s remains will be in the Presidential Library on January 5 and 6.

He is scheduled to be flown to the nation’s capital on January 7, where ceremonies will begin at the US Navy Memorial before a horse-drawn procession to the US Capitol.

He will lie in state for two days in the Capitol Rotunda, where the public will be able to pay their respects.

His life will be commemorated at the Washington National Cathedral on January 9 in a mass attended by several former presidents.

Biden will deliver the eulogy at Carter’s funeral in Washington, D.C., after the 39th president asked him to do so in March 2023, according to Biden.

Former presidents and first ladies typically attend their predecessors’ funerals, so First Lady Jill Biden and others like former President Barack Obama could be in attendance. Hillary and Bill Clinton are also expected to be there.

President-elect Donald Trump confirmed that he will attend. He did not go to Rosalynn Carter’s funeral last year, but his wife, Melania, did, along with other former first ladies.

Trump attended the Washington Mass for Republican George H.W. Bush. There were five living presidents, including Carter, in attendance.

The US federal government will close its doors on January 9 for a national day of mourning, President Biden said in an executive order.

Financial markets will be closed that day as well, including the New York Stock Exchange.

American flags on all federal buildings will be flown at half-mast for 30 days.