Below you will find signs that people who have buried a loved one need to know - when they can open a mirror after the funeral, do cleaning and repairs, and watch TV. There are many restrictions and prohibitions that were invented by our ancestors, for the most part, back in pre-Christian times.
When to open the mirror
It is a well-known fact that after a person’s death, all reflective surfaces are supposed to be covered. These are not only mirrors, but also televisions, computer monitors and other things in which you can see your reflection. This is done so that the reflection of the deceased does not remain in the house, and his ghost does not appear alive.
Signs are based on the path of the deceased. So, after three days after death, his guardian angel takes him to inspect paradise. For 9 days he will appear before the Lord and go to inspect hell. On the 40th day, the soul is given a final verdict on where it will reside. Since only the first three days after death the soul is among the living, the mirrors can be opened after it leaves it.
That is, on the fourth day. Previously, it was believed that during all 40 days the soul could visit relatives from time to time. That’s why they didn’t open the mirrors all this time.
Some Slavic superstitions claim that whoever looks first into a mirror opened after a funeral will soon die. To prevent this, the cat is brought to the mirror first. This sign is not scary for her.
Is it possible to watch TV
For obvious reasons, there are no old signs on this matter, but as mentioned above, televisions are supposed to be covered, just like mirrors. You can open them at the same time as the mirrors. That is, either after the funeral, or after the third, ninth or fortieth day.
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The Church does not prohibit watching TV, but recommends abstaining from entertainment at least nine days. You can watch news and educational programs, but it’s better to postpone watching movies and talk shows. You cannot turn on the TV in a house where a dead person is lying. Wait until the funeral is over. If the deceased was not close to you, the restriction does not apply to you.
These rules also apply to listening to music. The exception is church hymns. If you wish, you can listen to classical music. By the way, the funeral orchestra is a Soviet innovation. In the old days, they were accompanied by prayers and religious chants.
Should I keep photos of the dead?
The answer is yes. Photos are memories of a dear person, a memory for his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. By destroying photographs of the deceased, you allow his descendants to never know about him.
But still the image of the dead man is connected with world of the dead. Psychics can determine from a photo whether a person is alive or not. Therefore, you should not look at photographs of the deceased too often. You also can’t overdo it with their number on the walls, shelves and tables. Do not hang near portraits of living people; separate living and dead energies. The best place for storage - photo album.
Photographs taken during the funeral carry much more negativity. It's best not to do them. But, if there are already photos, it is better to destroy them. It doesn’t matter what is depicted there - a coffin, a cemetery, the funeral process, they are a strong source of necrotic energy.
When to clean the apartment
While the deceased is in the house, you cannot clean or take out the trash. Otherwise, another person in this house may die. According to legend, the person who cleans will sweep or wash it out of the home.
You need to clean it up immediately after removing the coffin. The floors are swept and washed after the deceased at a time when those mourning their last journey have already left for the cemetery. They do this to immediately sweep death, illness, and grief out of the house.
Moreover, such easy cleaning cannot be done blood relatives deceased. It is better for them to have less contact with the emanations of death, so that the deceased does not take his loved ones with him. Even pregnant women do not clean up after the deceased. Usually one of the family friends is asked to sweep and mop the floor. Only he must remain in the apartment after the coffin is removed. After this, the person joins the mourners at the wake, but is not present at the cemetery.
Some things are especially strongly imbued with the energy of death. So, the stools or table on which the coffin stood are taken outside for several days and left there with their legs up. This is done in order to get rid of this energy. The apartment has a balcony.
Be sure to take away from the house everything connected with the mournful ritual. These are the remains of fabric for upholstering the coffin, wood chips from it, as well as other ritual paraphernalia, except for a portrait with a black ribbon, a glass of water and a piece of bread. All flowers brought by mourners are supposed to be left at the grave - they are intended for the deceased.
The instrument used to take measurements for the coffin is also not left in the house; it brings death to another resident within a year. Nothing is taken from the coffin. The ropes that tied the hands of the deceased, the pennies that lay in front of the eyes - all this should remain in the coffin. The candles are taken to the cemetery, as is the grain in which they stood. It is also impossible to keep an icon that stood in front of the coffin. They float it down the river or take it to church.
When can you clean up after a funeral if the question is spring cleaning or tidying up the room of the deceased? At any time, but after the funeral or removal of the coffin. If you open mirrors at the same time, they should also be washed. If you decide to keep them closed for 3, 9 or 40 days, save that for later.
Is it possible to make repairs
Repairs can be done after a funeral, but only once it goes away 40 days after death. The soul of the deceased visits from time to time to see how loved ones live. She would like to see familiar surroundings, change can anger the spirit.
After 40 days, at a minimum, you will have to replace the bed on which the deceased slept, as well as the bed (sofa, floor or staircase covering, chair, etc.) that became the deathbed. bed dead person His bloodline cannot be used. It can be given away or sold. There is no need to install a new bed; use the freed up space as you see fit.
The place of death will continue to exude necrotic energy for several years. Therefore, it is necessary to replace everything that came into contact with the dying person, be it the floor covering where he fell, or furniture and bed sheets. As a rule, such things are thrown away or burned. In the villages they do things a little differently - they take them to the chicken coop for three days so that the rooster “sinks away all the negativity.”
Personal belongings of the deceased, as a rule, are distributed to the poor or sold. This doesn't just apply to clothes. Your favorite cup or plate, ashtray, anti-stress toy - you shouldn’t keep it all. Although many leave it in memory of the deceased.
What else should you not do after the funeral?
You cannot do laundry in a house where a person has died. This ban applies as long as there is a coffin in the house. That is, after the funeral you can start putting your clothes in order.
Is it possible to swim after a funeral? Superstitions recommend doing this at the same time you decide to remove the fabric from reflective surfaces. That is, immediately after the funeral, three, nine or forty days. In the old days, people washed only on the 41st day after death.
Among the things you should not do after a funeral are noisy holidays. It is not advisable to hold celebrations within 40 days. Birthday celebration It’s better to reschedule or cancel altogether. But you can celebrate it modestly, with your family, without loud music or noise.
The nine-day, or better yet forty-day ban also applies to weddings, but it all depends on emotional state relatives of the deceased. In addition, a wedding is a pre-arranged event associated with high costs. If you are having a wedding before forty days have passed since the death of a relative, during the celebration you need to mention this and pay tribute to the memory of the deceased. Weddings are allowed at any time.
Many people believe that travel and travel are among the things that should not be done after the funeral of a loved one. This is not true. They will help to distract you, but while traveling you should avoid various entertainment activities. Don't forget to remember the deceased and pray for his soul during the holidays.
In addition, the relatives of the deceased are not allowed to sew or cut their hair for forty days. If there is a need to repair clothes, you will have to do it. But tailoring that is not urgent should be postponed. The same goes for haircuts. Do bangs interfere with your daily activities? Get rid of it. But if it’s about changing your image, do it after forty days.
The same amount of time for the family of the deceased you can't drink alcohol. Perhaps the ban is due to the fact that grief is an accomplice of alcoholism. But funeral signs also prohibit drinking at funerals. The reason is that alcoholism is a sin. Relatives can pray for a sinful person for forty days. If they sin during this time, it will only complicate his afterlife.
After the funeral they only go to the wake, and from there they go home. You can’t go to visit, otherwise death will come to that house. You can go on a visit or on business only the day after the funeral and wake. Funerals are also the ninth and fortieth day, and after them this prohibition also applies. You also cannot go to celebrations that take place in public places - birthdays, weddings.
They don’t go from wake to wake. If two deceased people are commemorated on the same day, choose the one who is closer to you. But you can say goodbye to several dead people, support relatives, and express grief. During funerals, they do not visit the graves of relatives and friends. This time you came to only one deceased person, and visiting others will be considered disrespectful.
Church opinion
There are many beliefs that are supposed to be observed after a funeral. This will help protect against necrotic energy, diseases and other troubles. In addition, some signs are aimed at improving afterlife the deceased and his cleansing from sins.
They say death never comes to a person unexpectedly. She always gives signs that the last hour is near. This is an opportunity to have time to prepare for the inevitable, if it is destined to happen. Over a thousand-year history, humanity has accumulated colossal experience, including in everything related to death. And if we can only guess about what is there on the other side, then we are quite capable of recognizing the signs of fate that signal impending trouble. We will briefly try to talk about the most famous signs that have come true more than once, according to eyewitness accounts.
What phenomena can happen before death?
Keep in mind that a single sign in itself does not mean anything. Several repeating signs, both obvious and those that came in a dream, should be considered.
The first, most obvious sign is when the home begins to smell like a dead person, although no one has died yet. Several people should smell the smell. Otherwise it is a hallucination nervous soil(for example, when one of the relatives is sick for a long time).
There is no firm opinion regarding this. Some people believe that this is a dream of imminent illness, and if a tooth falls out with blood, it means imminent death. close relative. Some argue that such dreams arise from nervousness out of fear for the health of their own teeth. Freud's dream book on this subject states that a tooth falling out in a dream signals fear of castration as a sign of retribution for obvious or imaginary sexual sins.
There is a belief that a bluish glow can be observed around a person who is soon to pass into another world. But not when looking at it directly, but with peripheral vision. The same goes for shadows and black spots. If you notice something like this with your peripheral vision, death is somewhere nearby.
The doctor who came to the patient stumbled - probably medicine will no longer help in this case. Having asked the patient how he is feeling and receiving the answer “Terrible”, be sure of a speedy recovery. If a person answers that everything is fine, he is most likely no longer a tenant. It is a bad omen if a priest who has come to administer unction to a sick person cannot find the right place in the missal for a long time or, after leaving home, returns for a forgotten item.
Once the patient who receives communion falls asleep, he will recover; if he cannot sleep, he will soon die. If he turns toward the wall and also lies on his left side for a long time, he doesn’t have long to live. A sign of imminent death is a change in the body odor of the sick person - they say, “smells like earth.” This is also signaled by a change in the color of the pectoral cross if it is lowered into the water from which a person drank.
In order to find out whether the patient will recover or go to his ancestors, they used to resort to some fortune telling:
- Place fresh celandine on your head. If a person sings, he will live. I cried - no more.
- When fresh nettle, infused for 24 hours in a patient’s urine, turns black, the disease is incurable. If the plant remains green, such a person will certainly recover.
- Grate with a piece pork meat the patient's feet and give them to the dog. The animal eats the treat - the person will recover.
- Light a candle next to the patient. When the flame burns evenly, there will be healing from the disease. If it sways, it’s dead.
A bad omen is black birds: rooks, crows or owls. If they appeared in locality, have chosen a certain house - expect trouble.
A sure sign when a dog howls in the yard with its muzzle lowered to the ground - it is mourning its owner. If a cat constantly spins around the patient and lies on its back under the table, such a disease is incurable. A bad sign is if a cat lies across the floorboards.
A sign of the imminent death of household members is when a flower blooms that has never bloomed before. The exception is cacti, some species of which bloom once every few years. It is considered a bad sign if a tree planted by someone dries out or is broken by the wind. This means that the person himself does not have long to live.
A person who sees fire in the forest or in a cemetery must prepare to depart to another world. These are the souls of ancestors giving a sign to get ready for the journey. The same goes for a person whose clothes have been chewed by mice. A sign that soon he will change his clothes for the last time new clothes. In general, the appearance of these rodents in a city apartment is bad sign, just like a mouse running over a lying person.
When it flew into the house - it meant the sudden death of one of the relatives. A bird that has entered through a window should be fed and released through another window. The exception is pigeons - feed them or don’t feed them, troubles are bound to happen. A cuckoo, even if it just sits on the roof of a house, signals an imminent or dead person.
So, it did happen. A man has died, and inconsolable relatives are crying around him. Neighbors and relatives, as a rule, take charge of organizing the funeral - grief-stricken relatives are of little use now.
There are many signs you can see at funerals. But you may not see it - then everything will definitely be fine.
There is a belief that if a dead person has one eye slightly open, he is looking for a fellow traveler from among those around him. After the funeral, the bed of the deceased should be washed, otherwise death will not rest.
Based on what the weather is like on the day of the funeral, you can determine what kind of person the deceased was during his lifetime. A clear day - the deceased was definitely a good person, rainy weather - a so-so person.
Relatives are not supposed to carry the coffin, so as not to leave behind. For those who were not related by blood to the dead, nothing will happen. Men who carry the coffin should wear an embroidered one on their arm. It is generally accepted that this is how he thanks everyone for the last honor.
Everyone in the room in which someone died is locked in darkness for 40 days. thick fabric. It’s not even a sign, but a necessary condition. The mirror is a bridge between the material and astral planes of existence. The soul that has left the body walks among the living for 40 days, only then moves on. If the deceased sees a mirror, he can become its prisoner, and only a knowledgeable person can free the restless soul.
Items that had direct contact with the dead body should not be left after the funeral. Thus, the measure taken to make the coffin, as well as the ropes that tied the limbs of the deceased, are placed in the grave. There are many powerful rituals in magic when they are used. If a witch is present at a funeral ceremony, she will certainly want to take possession of this powerful artifact.
The water with which the deceased was washed must be poured onto the ground in a place where no one walks, so as not to accidentally step there, at least until the first rain.
Pregnant women and children under 7 years of age are strictly prohibited from attending the funeral. You can’t cry too much - the deceased, seeing how they miss him, will not want to leave and will become a ghost.
At a funeral, nothing bad should be said about the deceased.
When leaving the cemetery, you need to stand with your back to the cemetery and wipe your feet.
After the coffin is taken out of the house, the person leaving is the last to sweep and. This is done in a special way, from the door to the farthest corner of the room. The old broom and rag are thrown away, otherwise the coffin will soon be taken out again.
The comb used to comb the deceased is either thrown into the river or placed in a coffin. He is considered unclean - he cannot be washed or reprimanded. You can’t throw it into a lake or pond - you definitely need running water.
There is a tradition of throwing a handful of earth on the lid of the coffin. Otherwise, the deceased will find a hole in the grave and begin to scare the living at night. If a funeral procession passes by a house in which someone is sleeping, he should certainly be awakened. It is believed that the soul of the deceased can take the sleeping person with it.
You should not cross the road in front of a funeral procession. If a person dies of an illness, take it upon yourself. Under no circumstances should you overtake the funeral procession - you will appear before God before the deceased.
The wake is an integral part of the funeral rite. Memories of the deceased, what kind of person he was, a glass of “For the Repose”, a joint prayer for the repose of the soul - everyone has encountered this at least once.
There is a sign: when returning from a funeral, the first thing you should do is touch the stove - then no one in the house will die for a long time. Old people say that when you come into contact with the element of Fire, of which the stove is the personification, you will burn all bad omens at the root. If there is no stove in the house, you should light a candle, but certainly bring it from the temple.
There should be a glass of water in the house for 40 days after death. It is believed that the deceased drinks from it. Therefore, the vessel should be placed where someone else will not accidentally drink the water - this is not good.
Signs that a person is about to die
Many signs about the impending death of one of the relatives or friends appear to a person in a dream. Please note that this sign should be given importance if two or more people had a similar dream in a short period of time.
As mentioned above, there is no clear opinion about lost teeth. But a dream about cleaning the house, namely sweeping the floor, is a clear signal that someone will die soon. In the popular consciousness, rubbish is associated with the souls of ancestors, no matter how strange it sounds. Therefore, you should not sweep garbage outside the threshold, Bad sign- you will sweep out one of your relatives.
A sign of an imminent funeral in the house - when you dream of earth or fresh boards. There is no point in arguing here: the earth is for the grave, the boards are for the coffin. It is also believed that to a deceased person in a house, to see a log falling from the wall in a dream, digging earth, chicken eggs, fallen off heel or outsole.
If a bride in white clothes kisses you in a dream, it means death has kissed you. But the death itself, which appears in night dreams, whether it is yours or someone close to you, does not carry a negative connotation and is rather symbolic: one of the stages of your life has been passed and the next one begins.
On the contrary, one’s own death in a dream is a harbinger of a long, eventful life. The people you are talking to should also not cause concern. This is a sign of future changes in your life, and not necessarily for the worse. The exception is when the deceased calls with him. You should be extremely careful over the next few days - a fatal accident is possible.
Death is a natural process from which you cannot hide. At all times, people tried to protect the world of the living from the dead, so customs arose. What are the signs at a funeral and what is not allowed? Let's look at the most common superstitions in detail.
Features of beliefs
The death of a person is a tragic and sad event for all his loved ones. In ancient times they believed that any contact between the living and the dead was dangerous for both sides. To ensure an easy transition to another world, our ancestors developed a series of complex ritual actions.
Signs associated with funerals have long history, dating back to the pagan era. Collected in superstitions full information about what can and cannot be done during a funeral ceremony. Thanks to complex rituals, scientists are able to study cultural heritage pre-literate eras.
The meaning of many beliefs has been lost, and all actions are enshrined in traditions. Old people remain the keepers of ritual knowledge, and young people are trying to break out of the restrictive framework. In the complete absence of knowledge about the peculiarities of burial, there is a possibility of incurring otherworldly influences on yourself and your loved ones.
On the day of death
If modern people rarely think about death, our ancestors prepared for this event in advance. Even 100 years ago in the villages men with my own hands they preferred to make a coffin for themselves, their wives and loved ones. It was considered natural for the products to stand in the attic, filled with shavings or grain. It was believed that an empty house could speed up the tragic moment.
In order not to disturb the deceased, relatives always excluded contact of the body with silver objects. Metal was used to combat evil spirits, therefore it was forbidden to place any jewelry next to the deceased. They even preferred to hang a cross around their neck from ordinary material.
To ease the transition from the world of the living to world of the dead, our ancestors covered the dying person with a white cloth. The light cover calmed the body and helped the spirit come to terms with the new state. Such an item could not be given to anyone, so it was buried along with the deceased.
There is still a tradition of closing mirrors after the death of a person. It is believed that an object with a reflective surface is a demonic gift. The departed soul can fall into a glass trap and lose peace forever. Other sources say that the living are able to examine the deceased.
Preparatory procedures
Washing the deceased is one of the important stages of burial. Blood relatives were forbidden to prepare a loved one for the ritual. To do this, older people of the same sex as the deceased were invited. If during the last hygienic procedure a corpse fell from the table, this was considered a dangerous omen for all loved ones. Bad omens at the funeral were warned and demanded respect.
The water with which the deceased was washed acquires a negative charge. The ancestors believed that with the help of such a liquid it was easy to damage any person, bringing him to the grave or taking away his health and luck. Folk superstitions They demanded that the moisture be poured out in a vacant lot, away from housing.
The comb used to comb the deceased is usually placed in the coffin or thrown into the river. There is a superstition that an object becomes unclean and cannot be washed by any means. If you leave a comb in memory of a loved one, death will visit the house again. Often, sorcerers used a negative component, throwing it to their enemies.
Our ancestors remembered the bad omens at funerals, so they forbade the living to touch the body when they were close to the house. It was believed that in places that were touched, ulcers and wounds that were difficult to heal would soon appear.
When there is a dead person in the house, you cannot say hello out loud, just nod your head. People believe that it is easy to anger the spirit with words.
Cloth
Orthodox Christians have a tradition of dressing up the dead, like at a wedding. Unmarried girls dressed in a veil and White dress, and the young men - in a festive suit. Sometimes the funeral ceremony resembled a wedding in certain elements. It was believed that people who did not marry before death were doomed to painful wandering in the space between the living and the dead.
To ease the fate, a “betrothed” was selected from among the guests to follow the coffin. In pagan times, the role could have been given to the willow, fruit tree or stone. Signs and traditions at funerals required burying deceased lovers nearby.
They were no less sensitive to the choice of the last outfit for mature deceased people. Our ancestors prepared the last costume in advance, giving preference to light-colored fabrics. If a person died suddenly, it was impossible to choose something from the wardrobe of the living for the ceremony. They believed that clothes buried in the ground would drain energy and health from the person who gave them, bringing the hour of death closer.
How to behave around the body
Funeral superstitions and omens have evolved over hundreds of bodies. After death, it is forbidden to leave the deceased alone. Someone should always be nearby: to read prayers or monitor the burning of a candle. Fire symbolizes movement towards the light, so a consecrated flame is kept nearby until taken out.
Among the signs about the dead and funerals, the most common are prohibitions associated with a certain category of people. There was a danger for pregnant women and children negative influence from the side of evil. Their ancestors advised them not to attend the funeral ceremony and send them off to the cemetery.
It was forbidden to sleep in the same room with the dead. The Slavs preferred to leave their homes while the body was there. You cannot wash or clean until the deceased has been taken on his final journey. In some villages there are still rules that do not allow neighbors on the street to conduct planting work until the end of the funeral. Those who violated the taboo could be left without a harvest.
If a burial was taking place nearby, people were not advised to sleep. The ancestors believed that the spirit did not realize the death of its body, so it could try to take over another. A dozing adult exposed himself to great danger. To protect babies, containers with blessed water were placed under the cradles.
According to the signs, it was forbidden to put anything in the coffin, especially things and photos of the living. Often witches suggested placing two crossed needles on the lips of a dead person. Sewing items were then used to cause damage.
Burial
How to behave during a funeral ritual? Customs required a person to treat the deceased with respect. No matter who he was during life, after death he became an untouchable figure. Gossip and slander that tarnish one's reputation are prohibited. At the coffin they preferred to remember only the brightest moments.
The funeral procession was always allowed to go ahead. Anyone who dared to cross the road could receive the illnesses and sorrows that tormented the deceased. It’s better to wait a few minutes than to live through other people’s troubles and troubles. It was considered a bad omen if a wedding was going towards the procession.
If the dead person’s body is limp and soft, then there will be another dead person in the house.
According to tradition, the coffin cannot be carried by blood relatives. The road to the cemetery is strewn with pine branches or flowers, which are prohibited from touching. Any person who brings such jewelry becomes the next candidate for the deceased.
If you meet strangers during a funeral, you must treat them with sweets and ask them to pray for the deceased. It is believed that in this simple way it will be possible to transfer some of the sins to the living. What to do if the coffin falls or the lid turns over? It is recommended to go to church the next day and order a funeral service.
It is customary to throw a handful of earth into the grave. Our ancestors believed that in this way they tied the spirit of the deceased to the cemetery. If you do not perform the ritual, the ghost will torment your loved ones. A coffin or burial pit that is too large is a sign of imminent death in the same family.
After burial
After the funeral, it is forbidden to visit, otherwise someone will die in this house. Friends and relatives gathered for a ritual dinner called a wake. Before entering the room, you must touch a live fire - your hands were warmed from a stove or fire. It was believed that in this way the body was expelled negative energy associated with the cemetery.
Customs required people to place a glass of clean water or vodka, covered with a piece of bread. You cannot cry or grieve at meals, otherwise your soul will feel uncomfortable. They remember only the good, without mentioning the bad. Inappropriate songs and laughter during mourning will cause the death of someone close. Excessive drunkenness threatened the offender with the appearance of alcoholics in the family.
After burial, it is customary to donate money set aside for the treatment of a deceased father to the church. Popular superstitions attributed to such means negative energy that could bring the living to the grave. Memorial services were often ordered.
If a family became pregnant within a year of a person’s death, the ancestors believed in the return of the relative’s soul in the baby. Signs after a funeral required maximum care and tact from loved ones. It was possible to name the child after the lost one, after which the connection strengthened.
Ritual prohibitions
The deceased's belongings must not be touched until 9 days after death. Before the funeral, all valuable items were distributed to friends as souvenirs, and clothes were given to those in need. Furniture on which a person died is thrown away after a week. The chairs holding the coffin are burned after burial.
After 40 days, the soul leaves the world of the living, so all relatives gather for a ritual dinner. Pregnant women and children are allowed to attend this event. According to tradition, no one is invited to the ceremony, but so that people do not forget, they are advised to remind them before the funeral.
During the ritual of remembrance, it is customary to give the first pancake and a cup of jelly to the deceased.
Among the dangerous omens about funerals, it is worth noting clinking glasses: during a ritual meal, it promises trouble for anyone who violates an ancient taboo. Any piece that falls on the floor should not be given to animals.
On the birthday and death of a deceased person, it is customary to go to the cemetery. If it rains, it means that the angels are crying with their loved ones. Our ancestors preferred not to irritate higher power, driving away sadness from the heart.
- Respect. No matter who the deceased is, it is advised not to offend even mentally. An offended spirit is capable of causing a lot of trouble.
- Don't do any magic. Sometimes you can find different recommendations related to performing incomprehensible rituals. The rules state that any manipulations in the cemetery or on the street are always punished by higher powers.
- Do not be afraid. If you see a funeral procession, do not panic. Signs at all funerals do not frighten, but only warn.
All procedures associated with ritual activities are easy to follow. The procession along the street is always accompanied by experienced people who do not allow the event to be disrupted. Between the wake and returning home, it is advised not to visit anyone. It is better to give sweets and cookies to neighbors the next day.
Signs about funerals are ancient warnings passed down by ancestors. Knowing the features of the mourning ritual, you can avoid many troubles. The collected recommendations will help you understand all the intricacies of the ritual.
Every person on this earth has two of the most important events in life it is birth and death. Between these two events lies life.
For one person it is long, for another it is short, but in their lives people, as a rule, drive away the thought of death, thinking that they will live forever. But then death comes, and with it the inevitable bitter worries about burying someone dear to you.
Not often, but it happens that a person thinks about his future death and prepares a coffin for himself in advance. Such a product is usually stored in attics. But here there is a small but very significant “but”: the coffin is empty, and since it is made according to a person’s standards, he begins to “pull” it into himself. And a person, as a rule, dies faster. Previously, to prevent this from happening, in empty coffin poured sawdust, shavings, and grain. After the death of a person, sawdust, shavings, and grain were also buried in the hole. After all, if you feed a bird with such grain, it will become sick.
When a person has died and measurements are taken from him to make a coffin, under no circumstances should the measurement be placed on the bed. It is best to take it out of the house and put it in a coffin during the funeral.
Be sure to remove all silver objects from the deceased: after all, this is precisely the metal that is used to fight “the unclean.” Therefore, the latter can “disturb” the body of the deceased.
If there is a dead person in the house, do not do laundry. This must be done after the funeral.
When the coffin is being made, relatives and friends are prohibited from participating. It is best to bury the shavings formed during the manufacture of the coffin in the ground, or, in extreme cases, throw them into water.
The bed on which a person died does not need to be thrown away, as many do. Take her and take her out to the chicken coop, let her lie there for three nights, so that, as the legend goes, the rooster will sing her song three times.
When the time comes to place the deceased in a coffin, then they sprinkle holy water on the body of the deceased and his coffin, outside and inside. You can also cover it with incense. The body is then transferred to the coffin. A whisk is placed on the forehead of the deceased. It is given in church when the deceased is brought to the funeral service. The deceased's lips should be closed, his eyes closed, his hands folded crosswise on his chest, the right one on top of the left. A Christian woman’s head is covered with a large scarf that completely covers her hair, and its ends do not need to be tied, but simply folded crosswise. Should not be worn on the deceased Orthodox Christian tie. IN left hand the deceased is enclosed with an icon or cross; for men - the image of a savior, for women - the image Mother of God. Or you can do this: in the left hand - a cross, and on the chest of the deceased - a Holy image. A pillow, usually made of cotton wool, is placed under the feet and head of the deceased. The body is covered with a sheet. The coffin is placed in the middle of the room in front of the icons, turning the face of the deceased with his head towards the icons.
When you see a dead person in a coffin, do not automatically touch your body with your hands. This is due to the fact that in the place where you touched your hand, various skin growths in the form of a tumor can grow.
If there is a deceased person in the house, then when meeting your friend or relatives there, you should greet with a bow of the head, and not with your voice.
While the deceased is in the house, the floor should not be swept. If you do not follow this advice, your family members may soon get sick, or worse may happen.
During the funeral, you cannot visit the graves of relatives and friends located in the same cemetery.
The ritual must be completed to completion for one person.
Do not listen to those people who advise placing two needles crosswise on his lips to preserve the body of a deceased person from decomposition. This will not save the body of the deceased, but the needles that were on his lips will definitely disappear; they are used to cause damage.
To prevent a heavy smell from coming from the deceased, you can put a bunch of sage on his head; people call it “cornflowers.” It also serves another purpose - to ward off "evil spirits." For the same purposes, you can use willow branches, which are sacred in Palm Sunday and is stored behind the images. These branches can be placed under the deceased.
A man died, his body was placed in a coffin, but the bed on which he died had not yet been taken out. Friends or strangers may come to you and ask you to lie on this bed. The argument put forward is the following: so that their back and bones do not hurt. Don't listen to them. Don't hurt yourself.
Do not put fresh flowers in the coffin of a dead person. For this purpose, use artificial ones or, as a last resort, dried ones.
A candle is lit near the coffin as a sign that the deceased has moved to the realm of light - a better afterlife.
A lamp or candle is lit in the house and burns as long as the deceased is in the house.
Instead of a candlestick, glasses are often used for candles, into which wheat is poured. Some people sprinkle this wheat on others and thereby cause damage. This wheat should also not be used for poultry or livestock feed.
Make sure that someone else's things are not placed under the deceased. If you notice this, then you need to pull them out of the coffin and burn them somewhere away.
It happens that, out of ignorance, some compassionate mothers put photographs of their children in the coffin of their grandparents. After this, the child began to get sick, and if help was not provided in time, death could occur.
You cannot give your things to dress the deceased. The deceased is buried, and the one who gave away his things begins to get sick.
A coffin with a deceased person is taken out of the house, and someone stands near the door and starts tying knots in rags. He explains this operation to people by saying that he is tying knots so that no more coffins will be taken out of this house. Although such a person has something completely different on his mind...
If a pregnant woman goes to a funeral, she will do harm to herself. A sick child may be born. Therefore, try to stay at home during this time, and you need to say goodbye to your loved one in advance - before the funeral.
When a dead person is being carried to a cemetery, do not cross his path under any circumstances, as various tumors may form on your body. If this happens, then you should take the hand of the deceased, always the right one, and move all your fingers over the tumor and read “Our Father.” This needs to be done three times, after each time spitting over your left shoulder.
When they carry a dead man in a coffin down the street, try not to look from the window of your apartment or house.
The ties that bind the hands and feet of the deceased must be untied and placed in the coffin with the deceased. Otherwise, as a rule, they are used to cause damage.
If you say goodbye to the deceased, try not to step on the towel that is placed in the cemetery near the coffin, so as not to damage yourself.
If you are afraid of a dead person, grab the dead person's legs and hold on. This can be done before he is placed in the grave.
Sometimes people can throw earth from a grave in their bosom or collar, proving that this way they can avoid the fear of the dead. Don't believe it - this is done to cause damage.
Returning from a funeral, it is imperative to dust off your shoes before entering the house, and also hold your hands over the fire of a lit candle. This is done in order to prevent damage to the home.
The funeral is over, and as before Christian custom On the table to treat the soul of the deceased, water and something from food are placed in a glass.
Make sure that small children or adults do not inadvertently drink from this glass or eat anything. After such a treat, both adults and children begin to get sick.
During the wake, according to tradition, a glass of vodka is poured for the deceased. Don't drink it if anyone advises you to.
There is a dead man on your street, and you urgently need to plant potatoes. Don't waste your time and effort. If you plant potatoes at a time when the deceased has not yet been buried, do not expect a good harvest.
If you came to the grave to a loved one pull out the grass, paint the fence or plant something, you start digging and dig up things that shouldn’t be there. In this case, everything you found must be taken out of the cemetery and burned. When it burns, try not to get exposed to the smoke, otherwise you may get sick yourself.
Funeral in New Year- a very bad omen: in the coming year there will be a funeral at least once a month.
Sunday's funeral predicts three more funerals throughout the week.
It is dangerous to postpone a funeral for any reason. Then one, two or three deaths in the family or immediate area will occur within a week or a month.
If the funeral is postponed until next week, it is probably unlucky, because the dead person will try his best to take someone with him.
After the funeral, do not visit any of your friends or relatives.
Viburnum is planted in the heads of the graves of young men and women.
For the first seven days from the date of death of the deceased, do not take any things out of the house.
Do not distribute the deceased’s belongings to relatives, friends or acquaintances for up to 40 days.
If any of you has had a loved one die or dear person, and you often cry for him, then it is advised to have thistle grass in the house.
When someone dies, try to have only women present.
If the patient is dying seriously, then for an easier death, remove the feather pillow from under his head. In villages, the dying person is laid on straw.
To ease the agony of death, the patient must be covered with white material, which will later be used to upholster the coffin.
When there is a dead person in the house, you cannot drink water in the neighboring houses in the morning that was in buckets or pans. It must be poured out and freshly poured in.
It is advisable that the washing of the body of the deceased take place in daylight hours days - from sunrise to sunset. Water after ablution must be handled very carefully. It is necessary to dig a hole away from the yard, garden and residential premises, where people don’t walk, and pour everything, to the last drop, there and cover it with earth. The fact is that with the water in which the deceased was washed, they do very strong damage. Therefore, do not give this water to anyone, no matter who approaches you with such a request.
Try not to spill this water around the apartment so that those living in it do not get sick.
Pregnant women should not wash the deceased in order to avoid illness of the unborn child, as well as women who are menstruating.
As a rule, only elderly women prepare the deceased for his last journey.
The shroud must be sewn on a live thread and always with a needle from yourself, so that there are no more deaths in the house.
In Rus' in former times
In the house where the dying person lay, all the keys were removed from the keyholes and the doors and windows were opened so that the person’s soul could leave the body without interference. When a person gave his soul to God, he was necessarily washed so that he would appear before the Lord pure in soul and body.
Strict rules were followed when washing the deceased. The deceased was placed with his feet next to the stove and washed 2-3 times with warm water and soap from a new clay pot. The water with which the deceased was washed became “dead”, and it was poured somewhere far away so that healthy man did not step on this place, and also so that the sorcerer did not take it for himself to cause damage. The same was done with the water used to wash the dishes after the funeral and the floors after removing the deceased from the house. They also tried to get rid of other attributes of ablution as quickly as possible.
The baptismal sign is placed in the coffin of the deceased pectoral cross, an icon, a whisk on the forehead, candles and “handwriting” - a written prayer for the remission of sins. They give a towel (handkerchief) in the hands so that the deceased can wipe the sweat from his face during Last Judgment. Who died on Easter - an egg in his hand.
The deceased is usually buried in white clothes, personifying the infantile purity of the Christian soul.
A sign was strictly observed: do not make the coffin larger than the deceased, otherwise there will be another deceased. In the house, as a sign of mourning, mirrors are curtained or turned “facing” the wall so that the person’s soul does not remain locked on the other side of the mirror. They also stop all the clocks as a sign that life path person is completed. Before the funeral, friends and relatives come to say goodbye to the person, but 20 minutes before the removal of the body, only the closest relatives should remain with the deceased.
Take the dead person's dirty linen out of the house - take everyone out of the house.
In preparation for removing the body, first they take wreaths and a portrait of the deceased out of the house, then the lid of the coffin (with the narrow part forward), and finally the coffin itself (the deceased is carried out feet first). At the same time, thresholds and doorposts should not be touched so that the deceased is not tempted to return home.
“The dead man is alone in the house,” they say as they take him out and lock him in the house for the time being. According to the old tradition, the deceased should not be carried out before noon and after sunset, so that the setting sun could “take” the deceased with it. Relatives should not carry the coffin so that the deceased does not take a blood relative with him to the grave.
After removing the coffin from the house, be sure to wash all the floors (previously they washed not only the floors, but the whole house with water).
The path of the funeral procession to the cemetery is covered with spruce branches, which serve as a talisman, a guarantee that the deceased will not “walk” and will not retrace his steps.
At funerals, it is customary to present those present with pies, sweets, and handkerchiefs. This is nothing more than the distribution of alms, which obliges those who accept it to pray for the deceased. In this case, those praying take on part of the sins of the deceased.
When you come home after a funeral, you need to warm your hands so as not to bring the cold of the grave into the house. After the funeral, no intoxicating drinks are allowed in the mouth for 40 days. At funerals, they drink only vodka, and those who come are always fed pancakes and kutya.
For the soul of the deceased, a glass of vodka, covered with a slice of bread, is placed on the table. It must stand for 40 days, until the person’s soul has completely left this world.
They don’t stay long at wakes. For six weeks after the funeral, there should be a glass of water on the windowsill, and a towel should hang on the corner of the house, outside the window, so that the soul can bathe and dry itself before the funeral. On the fortieth day, the soul of the deceased comes to his home for the whole day and leaves only after the so-called farewell. If they are not arranged, the deceased will suffer. Six weeks after death, “ladders” of dough are baked to help the soul climb to heaven. According to Russian tradition, in the folk month there are special days, in which Orthodox Christians commemorate those who moved to another world.
We must always remember that at a funeral or with the help of funeral paraphernalia, the most severe damage is caused. Therefore, if something incomprehensible happened at a funeral or you suspect something, contact an experienced
to the master. Under no circumstances should you get rid of such damage on your own or through numerous and useless articles on the Internet.
Death has always caused fear in humans. Signs at a funeral are of particular importance for the relatives of the deceased, because they can be used to determine whether a person will be happy in the afterlife or not.
Superstitions
Among the funeral beliefs different nations General ones can be identified:
- Whoever the dead man meets with his eyes will follow him. Died in different religions paint over eyelids or put special items on the eyes. Make eye contact with dead man is regarded as a bad sign, foreshadowing serious illness or quick death.
- An unmarried girl should be buried in wedding dress. According to custom, a woman can become the bride of God if she dies a virgin. However, for this she needs to appear before the Lord in all her wedding details.
- Relatives cannot carry the coffin on their shoulders. According to legends, the soul of the deceased watches over the burial ritual for forty days. If the relatives of the deceased take the coffin on their shoulders, the deceased may decide that they are happy about his death. Blood ties in this situation will weaken a person’s defense before the other world. According to tradition, the coffin is carried by people not related to the deceased, and as a sign of respect they must tie a white towel on their arm.
Before burial, you should throw a handful of soil on the coffin - this will protect the house from the ghost of the deceased.
In a house where a person has died, all reflective surfaces must be removed or covered for forty days. There is a superstition that a mirror is a passage between the material world and the other world. The reflective surface can captivate the deceased - if during the period of its 40-day stay the spirit is near the mirror, then it will be forced to remain on earth until it is freed.
You should not leave objects in the house that have had contact with the body of the deceased. Therefore, ropes are placed in the coffin, with which the limbs of the deceased and the measure are tied. According to signs, such things in the house can bring misfortune to the residents. With the help of these items, the evil eye or damage can be sent to the family of the deceased, so during the funeral you need to make sure that the measure and ropes are not pulled out of the coffin.
Burial
Many beliefs are associated with burying a dead person. Among them are:
- The hole is smaller than the coffin - the earth does not accept the deceased. If the grave is larger than the coffin, expect another dead person.
- The ground collapsed while the coffin was being lowered - a relative of the deceased will die in the next month. The edge of the soil sagged on the northern edge - a man, on the southern side - a woman.
Prohibitions
Pregnant girls and children are not allowed to attend the burial. According to signs, being present at a burial can cause a miscarriage in a girl. Children may get sick after visiting a cemetery.
You should not cry a lot during the burial. The deceased may take relatives who grieve too much with him out of pity.
You cannot insult the deceased or remember his negative character traits. It is necessary to speak well of the deceased.
Raising flowers behind the procession is regarded as bad sign- a person voluntarily accepts a bad fate.
If valuables fall into the grave, you should not take them out. According to legend, such objects are considered retribution for sins. If you take them out, you can anger the dead.
It is a serious disrespect for the dead to fall into a grave, so one should keep away from the edge of the pit during burial.
According to custom, fresh flowers cannot be placed in the coffin.
After the funeral
As soon as the coffin with the deceased is taken out, the old broom and wood chips should be thrown away. This belief is due to the fact that the last person who leaves the house after burying the deceased sweeps and cleans up after the deceased. All procedures are performed from the threshold deep into the house. After completing the ritual, both the broom and the floor rag must be thrown away. If they are left indoors, someone in the family will die next.
The comb of the deceased must be thrown into the water or placed in the coffin. Such a personal hygiene item is unclean after touching the body of a deceased person. It is no longer possible to wash or consecrate this thing. The comb is especially dangerous for children, who may mistakenly comb their hair with it. It is best to throw the comb away running water. It could be a river or the sea. You cannot throw a comb into a lake, since standing water becomes dead under the influence of an unclean object. This ritual is performed to drive death away from the house. Otherwise, pets in the house may die. Also, such a procedure helps to get rid of longing for the deceased. If there is no running water nearby, then the comb must be placed in the coffin of the deceased. This will protect the house from death, but will not relieve emotional distress.
Farewell and commemoration
After the funeral, you should drink a glass for the repose of your soul. According to tradition, the deceased is remembered with church wine, so that the deceased will sooner enter the Kingdom of Heaven, since wine has long been associated with the blood of Jesus.
Bread should be crumbled at the grave itself. According to legends, the soul of a person transmigrates into a bird and through it reaches heaven.
On memorial days, you need to put a glass or cup of water on the window. For forty days, the soul of the deceased drinks water and washes himself before meeting God. The container must be constantly filled so that the liquid in it is not less than half. You should also place a clean cotton towel near the glass. Upon arrival memorial days the towel must be burned.
For forty days, it is not advisable to behave expressively: cry loudly in public or laugh. Grief for the deceased should be moderate, otherwise the deceased may take the overly grieving relative with him. Excessive fun can offend the deceased. The spirit of the deceased can curse overly joyful relatives, so you should not express happiness when receiving a large inheritance.
Weddings or engagements cannot be held during memorial days. In such families, according to legend, children may die.
Feast
A funeral dinner is a long-standing ritual through which relatives pay tribute to the deceased and bid farewell to his soul. This ritual has certain rules:
- Knives and forks are not used during funeral dinner- these devices can disturb the dead due to their sharp shape.
- Kutia, jelly and pancakes are considered traditional dishes on the table.
- When drinking to the repose during a funeral dinner, you should not clink glasses. A similar gesture relates to celebrations, so it is inappropriate during a wake.
Someone else's funeral
There are a number of beliefs associated with the funerals of strangers. Among them are:
- You cannot cross the path in front of someone else's coffin. If a person died from a disease, then the disease can spread to the one who ran in front of the coffin.
- If infant eats while a funeral procession is passing by the window - you need to put a glass of water under the crib. This will protect the child from evil spirits.
- Meet funeral procession- unfortunately in the house. It can be money problems or pestilence of domestic animals.
Church traditions
Religion and superstition are closely linked in the culture of many peoples. Signs at funerals often include church rituals and folk beliefs:
- The funeral takes place on the third day. This tradition is associated with the resurrection of Jesus, which occurred on the third day. According to legend, on the third day the soul will be able to go to heaven.
- The deceased's hands should be folded into a cross. Right hand, symbolizing living in truth, should rest on top of the left.
- The head of a deceased woman should be covered with a scarf. Also, all girls present at the funeral must wear hats.
- Be sure to put a cross on the neck of the deceased.
- A cloth strip with images of saints and prayers should be placed on the forehead of the deceased.
Coffin
The well-being of the house is also affected by what the deceased is buried in. An incorrectly selected coffin or non-compliance with rituals can cause problems in the home:
- A forgotten coffin lid foreshadows another dead person in the house. For this reason, the lid is removed from the room first, then the coffin.
- The coffin is carried around the funeral stone three times.
- According to English superstitions, if a coffin is hammered in on the street, the doors to the house are already closed, and the funeral procession has not yet formed, someone else will soon die. The coffin should be closed at the very last moment, after everyone has said goodbye and decided on the order in the procession.
The coffin is larger than the deceased - someone will die next. Free space in a coffin has long been considered a very bad omen. Since the error in size is usually small, children may be the first to suffer.
Separate value in folk signs has the fall of the coffin. Depending on the place and position of the deceased, a fall may have the following consequences:
- The coffin fell at the funeral - the family will bury their loved ones for another three years. To avoid bad luck, you need to bake pancakes and distribute them to the poor near the church. Afterwards, you should light a candle in the temple for the repose of the soul of the deceased.
- A coffin falling into a grave means the imminent death of people close to the deceased. These could be relatives or friends. Gifts to the deceased on the coffin will help protect against this sign: bread or cloth is placed before burial.
- The deceased who has fallen out of the coffin will call a family member to follow him. This is also regarded as the inability of the spirit of the deceased to find peace. A custom prayer service in church for the repose of the soul of the deceased will help neutralize the bad consequences.
The lid of the coffin fell - the spirit of the deceased will take up residence in the house. In this case, you should visit the graveyard the day after the burial and leave small money at the grave. This will serve as a kind of ransom from death.
Other beliefs
There are also less famous signs at funerals, which is followed in villages. Among them, the following customs should be highlighted:
- In order not to be afraid of the deceased person, they touch his legs. This ritual is associated with the belief that death is in the head.
- The fear of the dead man has shackled him - pull the thread from the shroud.
- In the presence of the deceased, one should greet with a nod of the head, and not with words.
- The straw on which the deceased lay must be burned.
According to tradition, on the third day the bed of the deceased is taken to the chicken coop. There is a superstition that roosters use their crowing to drive away evil spirits and restless ghosts.
The presence of children and animals in the same room as the deceased should be limited. Otherwise, death may call them with it.
According to signs, the first person to be buried in the new cemetery will belong to the Devil. Traditionally, the first to be buried in the graveyard are those who were guilty during their lifetime.
Conclusion
Signs during funerals play an important role in the culture of many nations. Some of them are aimed at resting the soul of the deceased. Others help protect home and family from the other world.
IN modern world burial signs not only indicate possible consequences certain events during the burial, but also dictate how to behave during the funeral. This is due to the close interweaving of religion, traditions and folk superstitions.