thumb|Pallbearers carrying the casket of Major [[Douglas A. Zembiec of the United States Marine Corps]]
A pallbearer is one of several participants who help carry the casket at a funeral. They may wear white gloves in order to prevent damaging the casket and to show respect to the deceased person.
Some traditions distinguish between the roles of pallbearers and casket bearer. The former is a ceremonial position, carrying a tip of the pall or a cord attached to it. The latter do the actual heavy lifting and carrying. There may otherwise be pallbearers only in the symbolic sense if the casket is on an animal or vehicle.
In Western cultures, the pallbearers are usually male family members, close friends, or colleagues of the deceased. A notable exception was the funeral of Lee Harvey Oswald in which reporters outnumbered mourners and were pressed into service to carry the coffin. In some African cultures, pallbearers are not family members but are staffs of professional funeral agencies who are paid for their services.
Depending on local tradition, pallbearers carry the coffin either on their shoulders or by using handles at waist level. At times additional pallbearers, known as honorary pallbearers, walk either behind or directly in front of the casket in a showcase of supplemental distinction towards the deceased. This type of pallbearer is most often a gentleman in the profession of the deceased who has achieved significant merit within their position.
Pallbearers additionally carry an urn ark, a wooden box with glass that carries an urn with four handles during a memorial service or celebration of life.
Etymology
thumb|Pallbearers at a dignitary's burial in [[Kenya]]
A pall is a heavy cloth that is draped over a coffin. Thus the term pallbearer is used to signify someone who "bears" the coffin which the pall covers. In the Holy Roman Empire, a soldier wore a cape or cloak called the pallium. In medieval times the term pallium was shortened to pall. Christians would use a pall to cover their loved ones when burying them.
Buddhist culture
In Ancient Indian Buddhist cultural traditions of grieving, often requires pallbearers to consume a vegetarian diet which excludes garlic, onions, leek and chives. They tend to also abstain from alcohol for at least 49 days after passing. Garter King of Arms then promptly notified the Lord Chamberlain that ladies had only gone into a funeral process by mourning or attendants under the chief mourners. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, and most countries in Asia, the coffin is often carried on the shoulders. There are typically 6 to 8 pallbearers depending on the size and weight of the coffin.
In Scandinavia, the casket is carried by three straps, which go under the casket; the pallbearers on each side take their side of the strap over their shoulders and the casket itself is suspended by the straps on knee height. The advantage of this method is that the weight of the casket is distributed on the shoulders of the pallbearers, and the casket can be lowered immediately to the grave, as the pallbearers will simply walk lengthwise on each side of the grave. Once the casket has been lowered, the pallbearers on the right side of the casket (the heart of the deceased) then pull the straps off.
British countryside and carriages
Further, chief mourners and attendants such as pallbearers and canopy usually wore mourning gowns with hoods. The act of putting on of particular mourning clothing, along with offering food, and burial banquet were ancient practices preserved by European Renaissance burial traditions that lasted till the 19th century. The 2 leading pallbearers, funeral director and clergyman, would be in the first carriage. Otherwise the coffin can be lifted to the altar and placed down by the pallbearers.