Several days of ceremonies and services will be held in Washington to mourn the death of US President Jimmy Carter, who died at the age of 100.
The former president will be honored at a state funeral on January 9 before being buried in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, next to his wife Rosalynn, who died last year at the age of 96.
Carter died on Sunday, two years after entering the hospital.
Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming service.
Where is the funeral?
Carter – who was president from 1977 to 1981 – will be memorialized at a state funeral in Washington DC on January 9.
The family of the former president accepted on Monday the invitation to Carter to lie solemnly in the Rotunda of the US Capitol, and the service will be held in the National Cathedral in Washington.
Carter’s remains will be at the Capitol in the early afternoon of January 7th and will be kept there until the morning of January 9th. The building will be open to the public at “set times” for those who wish to pay their respects.
The U.S. federal government will be closed on Jan. 9 for a national day of mourning “out of respect for James Earl Carter Jr.,” President Joe Biden said in an executive order.
Will there be other ceremonies?
The state funeral will not be the only ceremony for the 39th president.
On January 4, the motorcade will drive through Carter’s small hometown of Plains, Georgia and stop at his childhood home before continuing to Atlanta for a public service at the Carter Presidential Center.
Carter’s remains will be at the presidential library on January 5 and 6.
After serving in Georgia and Washington DC, the former president will be laid to rest in the Plains for the final time in a private ceremony.
Who will attend the state funeral?
Biden will deliver the eulogy at Carter’s funeral in Washington, after the 39th president asked him to in March 2023, according to Biden.
Former presidents and first ladies usually attend the funerals of their predecessors, so first lady Jill Biden and others like former president Barack Obama could be in attendance. Hillary and Bill Clinton are also expected to attend.
President-elect Donald Trump’s plans are unclear. He did not attend Rosalynn Carter’s funeral last year, but his wife Melania did, along with other former first ladies.
Trump did, however, attend a mass in Washington for George HW Bush, the last former president to die, in 2018.
