The Last Farewell in the 19th Century

Many people today wish to die at home, surrounded by their loved ones. In the past, this was quite common - especially in the countryside, where many traditions and customs were associated with the passing of a person. These rituals were intended to symbolically break the ties that bound the deceased to family and neighbours, while welcoming them into the world of the dead. In this article, I explore how dying and burial were experienced in our rural areas in the 19th century. Many of the customs of the time still survive today - albeit perhaps in a simplified form.

Funeral ceremonies have always been accompanied by a number of rituals.

Dying

When someone had been moaning for a long time, the neighbours brought all kinds of medicines and the family prayed for his recovery. If the sick person felt that his last moments were approaching, he said goodbye to family and friends, gave them his blessing and gave final instructions regarding the distribution of the surviving property. At the same time, however, this created a space to pass on messages to those who had already died. People used the approach of death as an opportunity to send greetings to the "other world" - telling about what had happened in the village; about misfortunes, the war, but also about who they missed.

"Aunt Hotak begged: Say hello to my husband - Martin - and tell him that we were burnt out in the summer... Tell our people that Simon was drafted this year, and that he enlisted in Pilsen. A widower who buried his wife five years ago, he reminded me emphatically: Give my Manka my love, tell her I can't forget. Throughout the morning, people came to the building with their pains and desires, and the old woman smiled, prayed and promised to deal with everything faithfully..."

- Jindřich Šimon Baar from Postřekov in Chodsko. In: Navrátilová. 2004: 189.

Signs 

When a kulishka screamed or a bitch howled in the yard, it was said that death was coming. In Central Bohemia, she was imagined as a female figure in a paper dress standing by the bedside of the dying. A sudden stop of the clock or strange noises in the house - "like a rod slamming against a chest" - were also harbingers of the approaching end.

On Easter Sunday (nowadays White Sunday) a procession used to go to the cemetery.

Notification of deaths

As soon as one breathed his last, it was necessary to wake up all those who were sleeping in the house. If the householder died, his departure was announced to the animals - the dog, the horses, the bees, even the fruit trees. If the housekeeper died, it was said especially to the poultry and cattle. Clocks were stopped in the house, mirrors and pictures were covered, the deceased's eyes were closed so that he would not "look" for someone else, and his chin was tied so that he would not "swallow" someone from the family. Everything was done with respect for the body, because it was believed that the soul remained with the body until burial. This is also why the vessels were turned upside down, so that the soul would have nowhere to hide. In some areas a window was opened after death, in others it was closed - it depended on whether people believed the soul should stay or go.

Even today, the village noontime death knell can tell you that someone has died. In some regions, the bell used to be rung three times for a man, twice for a woman and once for a child.

The family then commissioned someone to go round the neighbours and tell them what had happened. In return, he got a small reward - a bite to eat or money - but he was never allowed to enter the house. This custom was later replaced by the funeral card in the local newspaper.

Placing in the coffin

Before the body was placed in the coffin, it was washed by an elderly woman from the family or relatives. Anything that touched the dead person was no longer used - it was burned or buried. The water was poured out into an unused corner of the garden, where nothing was grown. The deceased was laid on a white sheet or on a mortuary board in a cool chamber, his head turned towards the exit.

The coffin was made to order by a local carpenter and consecrated with holy water before use. The body was dressed by a member of the family - often in a linen shawl or wedding dress, the arms were crossed on the chest and a holy image was placed between them. A rosary, cross, prayer book or personal items were added. The body was then displayed in the house. Shoes were not given - they were expensive and passed on. In the 19th century the coffin was usually black. For those who died unmarried, however, it was sometimes red.

Things the deceased liked were often added to the coffin - tobacco, alcohol, books, photographs or even musical instruments.

Lamentations and last visits

Neighbors and friends came to visit the family and the deceased. Prayers were said, farewells were said, and holy water was placed next to the body for crucifixion. Beggars were also invited to pray for the deceased, and beggars - known as weepers - would mourn loudly. In some regions, prayers went on all night. Guests sang funeral songs with the family, and in addition to prayers, tea, coffee, small treats and alcohol were served. Guests often took the refreshments home with them.

Taking the deceased out of the house of mourning

The coffin was closed just before the departure to the cemetery - so that everyone could say goodbye to the deceased until the very last moment. The actual hammering of the lid was often accompanied by strong emotions, weeping and wailing. The coffin was always carried out of the house feet first - this was to prevent the deceased from "going back". This custom has persisted to this day.

The threshold of the house had a symbolic meaning, it represented the boundary of the house. When the coffin was carried, it was either swung, knocked, or the symbol of a cross was made over it three times. In the case of a woman who died in her sextuplets, the coffin was carried by women. Similarly, the married were carried by the married, the unmarried by the unmarried.

The coffin was most often worn by men, usually married. In the past, the coffin was carried on the handles, but nowadays it is more often grabbed by the handles.

Funeral procession 

From the house of mourning, the coffin was carried to the church or directly to the cemetery - either on a plague or on a horse-drawn cart. When the wagon was driven, it was first reversed three times. During the journey, people prayed, and in some places a singer led the prayer.

At the end of the village, often at the shrine, those present made a final appeal to others for forgiveness:

'Neighbours and neighbours, if the deceased has wronged you in any way while alive, I beg you for God's sake and for the sake of all the saints, first, second, third, forgive him (her)!' The congregation present shall answer, 'May the Lord God forgive him (her).'"

- Žipek, 1895: 534. In Nešporová, 2013: 188.

If the church or cemetery was far away, young children and the elderly accompanied the procession only to the outskirts of the village.

Nowadays, coffin is most often transported by car, but previously men carried it in their hands, and later in a carriage.

Ceremony at the cemetery

Upon arrival at the cemetery, a church ceremony was held during which the priest gave a speech, the grave was blessed and coffin was lowered down. People usually could not hold back their tears - weeping and mourning accompanied the whole ritual.

To this day, it is common to throw three handfuls of dirt on the coffin - a reminder that we all end up the same way one day. Moreover, in some regions, the bed of the deceased was made on the day of the funeral: if it remained intact the next morning, it was believed that the soul had not returned.

The deceased used to be laid to rest on the same day he died. However, it could happen that he was buried alive by mistake - people made sure of his death in various ways, for example, by dripping wax on his chest or putting a feather to his mouth. It was because of this that in 1771 it was decreed that every church must have a mortuary chamber where the body would remain for at least 48 hours. In reality, however, this was not observed until much later.

Kar

After the funeral, the family invited guests - relatives, friends, but also priests, weepers, gravediggers or bearers - to a funeral feast. Simple foods such as porridge, bread, milk, and often alcohol were served.

Posthumous wedding

For the unmarried deceased, wedding elements often appeared - this was to complete the life cycle that death had interrupted. The deceased young man or girl was dressed in a wedding dress and a peer symbolically took on the role of groom or bride and followed the coffin. In some regions the procession was accompanied by two figures - a white and a black bride. The black bride carried a broken candle as a symbol of a wasted life.

Bridesmaids often escorted the deceased from the house, and the feast that followed was informally called a wreath, a merrymaking, or a wedding. People ate, drank and danced together. There was also bread.

The tradition of white and black brides has been preserved in some areas of the Czech Republic and Slovakia to this day.

The period of mourning

The funeral was followed by a period of mourning, with women wearing black clothing or at least a black armband. For one year, no wedding was allowed to take place and the family did not participate in dances or merrymaking.

Excessive mourning was not welcome, however - it was said to unnecessarily disturb the soul of the deceased. It was mourned mainly on the anniversary of death and birth, on All Souls' Day or at Christmas.

Visiting the cemetery on All Souls' Day is still an important custom. In the past, special pastries made of white flour were baked on this occasion - they were called souls, bones of saints, calettes or bones of God. They were given to children and beggars. It was believed that they were close to the spiritual world and could mediate contact with the dead.

Care of graves

In the past, graves were not maintained as carefully as they are today. Often they were overgrown with grass, and when the family cut it down, it bothered the gravediggers - who grew vegetables, cut grass for the cattle, or grazed the animals.

Larger and more ornate graves began to appear towards the end of the 19th century, first in towns and gradually in the countryside. Most had only simple markings, inscriptions were rare. Wealthier families could afford a wooden or metal cross. In Central Bohemia, coloured crosses were used - red for single people and black for married people. Around the turn of the century, wreaths and candle lighting became common on death anniversaries or on All Souls' Day.

Funeral customs in our country differed significantly from region to region. After all, the saying " Different region, different morals" is perhaps most true of funerals. If you yourself have experienced another tradition that was observed in your area, we would be glad if you would share it - write to us at info@pohrebnipruvodci.cz.

The author is ethnologist and funeral guide Adriana Kábová.

Sources:

KAŠOVÁ, Lucie. Rituals, customs and traditions of burial in the 21st century in Jílové u Prahy. Master thesis, supervisor Hošek, Pavel. Charles University, Evangelical Theological Faculty, Department of Religious Studies, 2011.

NAVRÁTILOVÁ, Alexandra. Birth and death in Czech folk culture. Prague, Vyšehrad, 2004.

NEŠPOROVÁ, Olga. A Century of Changes in Burial. Czech People, 100, 2, 2013.

ŠROM, Boh. On peasant life in the Jilov district, manuscript, 1895.

ŽIPEK, Josef. Superstitions, customs about illness, death and funeral in Strakonice. Český lid, 4: 533-535, 1895.

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