Funeral masters talk about how to say goodbye to the dead, and why gems should not be worn at funerals.

The profession of a master of ceremonies (a person responsible for conducting a funeral and mourning speech) is really rare in Russia. Not everywhere there are halls of farewell to the dead, and not every family uses the services of funeral homes. 34 million people generally live in rural areas and say goodbye to loved ones in a morgue or private home.
This is neither good nor bad. Only 25% of people can work in the field of funeral services, forensic experts, in hospices - that is, where life ends. These are professions in which people of exceptionally mature souls can stay. These are those who have died many times, reincarnated many times, who are not afraid of death. "Baby souls" are even afraid to talk about death.
Usually the master of ceremonies works until the funeral service. However, there are exceptions if, for example, the priest is in a hurry. By the way, it is not he who acts as a preacher at the funeral, but the organizer of the celebration. It is his art that helps people learn from their lives.
Each death carries a lesson, and the funeral director must find codes for the mourners so that they can re-evaluate their path, understand why they came into the world.
The master of ceremonies should also provide a psychotherapeutic service: the speech should be such that a person who is in the stage of acute grief will quickly survive this moment. The mourner must cope with grief within three months, if this does not happen, then people already need medical help. My goal is to make grief change into a feeling of grateful memory.
The culmination of the funeral procession is the last 100 meters. At this time, a coffin or urn is carried. At this moment, those who came to the funeral change their lives.
With a low average salary (30-35 thousand rubles), the work of the master of ceremonies is rewarding and uncomplicated. Understand: we are not hard. We just have a special environment.

The funeral master has several preparations in case of death of a child, a military man, a scientist, a young mother. People are very similar: there are many universal formulas, each of which surprises the mourners. So - it seems to them - "it is precisely said" about a particular person.
On the eve of the farewell ceremony, the master of ceremonies calls the relatives of the deceased - clarifies some facts of his biography, and then inserts them into his speech. As a rule, accurately noticed features of the departed produce a colossal effect on the guests.
For example, recently I led the funeral of the director of one enterprise, and practically no information was received from his relatives. I used several win-win phrases: "he was not vindictive", "he believed that a person could not be offended if he did not take offense himself."
The funeral speech also tells about the little things - for example, if we bury a 90-year-old grandmother, it must be said not only that she raised her grandchildren, but also that she survived many transformations that befell Russia. You can even tell how she learned to use the phone, saw the first TV, and so on.

The best funerals are for drug addicts

The funeral was empty. Usually five people come to them, ten is good. Fifteen is admiration. The mentality has changed. Previously, 100 people came to say goodbye to the same officials, but today no one will come: they will suddenly take a picture, and then someone will think that they (the mourners) once gave him a bribe. In the USSR, they were somehow not afraid of this, people thanked those who once helped them for money.
The biggest funerals are for drug addicts. Surprisingly, they are also the most grateful participants in the funeral procession. Drug addicts feel that their end is coming soon - they do not say anything, complete silence, and then they talk to each other (after the ceremony) for a long, long time. It's a community that sticks together. During the funeral speech, all addicts nod their heads, listen carefully as the master of ceremonies evaluates the merits of the life of the deceased. A skillful master tries to find meaning even in the most aimlessly lived life. You can always say that a person (even a drug addict) worked somewhere, created something, studied ... And when the master of ceremonies finds the dignity of the deceased, the faces of his friends shine. The guys know that when they die, they will also be appreciated in this hall.
In the USSR, there was a delightful farewell culture, dozens of human qualities were valued, which were talked about at the funeral: “he was a fighter for peace”, “innovator”, “fair”, etc.

Painting by the artist Tatyana Nikolaevna Golimbievskaya "Immortality".
Today, people do not know how to truly appreciate the departed with the help of words. Now in the first place among the evaluative words - "kind". But this is a desemantized vocabulary - no specifics, because all people are kind. This phrase does not resonate in the souls of those who sit at the tomb. The second thing relatives say is “he was a good ... father, grandfather, son,” etc. Then they say how the person worked - “hard-working”, “successful”, “good production worker”, and about his hobby (“fisherman”, “gardener”).

"You will be shot." Taboo on sympathy

You can not perceive the grief of a person, sympathize with all your heart. It is forbidden. If you cross the line of the grieving, then you inevitably begin to cling to information from the one who is in grief. People who mourn are weak (since the death of a loved one is a blow), and therefore they need someone else's energy. They do not just want to take someone by the hand, hug. If you share their grief with people, then you will not be able to conduct 10-15 ceremonies a day. When you give away your potential, you get shot.
During the funeral, a colossal exchange of energy takes place between the mourners. Scientists say that there is no more vivid feeling than what a person experiences when receiving information about death. It is much higher than love.
The moment of news and then the blow from the identification of the dead are comparable to an orgasm (this is “microdeath”). In bed, lovers dump a huge amount of information on each other - the mourners do the same in parting moments. The mourners pour out a huge stream of negative information that someone has to consume. The dead are energetically safe, but the living who come are not. Believers should think that their cross glows and drives away negativity, atheists should imagine that they have a fire burning in their chest that reflects everything.
The master of ceremonies must be able to preserve himself. I teach them this. For example, women should wear hairpins made of soft metals or plastic. They will distract negativity and these decorations can be cleaned. In no case should you wear diamonds - these are the most durable stones that absorb tremendous energy. The speech of the master also performs a protective function. She should be indifferent, but detached. And then you can pick up the negative from what is happening. English intonation is ideal: the first word is stressed, the next is less, and so on, and then once - and a sharp drop in the voice down. We highlight individual words with three pauses. People in mourning are different - they need to “explain” everything.

VIP funeral rules and custom music

There is more and more glamour at funerals. Mommy in a mink coat and diamonds is buried in luxurious coffins, around the coffin they dance on pointe shoes. About 17% can afford it. Some simply give a card (not counting) - dispose of as you wish, but everything should be luxurious. And the makeup of the dead, and the color of her hair. Everything is like in beauty salons.
Someone asks to make a film about the deceased from photographs, which will be shown during the celebration (the tape costs 3.5 thousand rubles). The cost of the work of the master of ceremonies is 1.5–2 thousand rubles. In general, now dying is cheap - 15-20 thousand (this is not a surplus).
Classical music stopped playing (this applies to all funerals). People began to order ordinary secular songs. The absolute leader is the song "Tenderness" performed by Anna German. Also, for example, they order “How delightful evenings are in Russia” and “Clean Prudy”.
Once I held a funeral for the head of a construction company, which was attended by a lot of men. None of them cried, even when they entered the furnace room. After the cremation of the deceased, they had to go through a long corridor. I watched what was happening and asked the guard to play the song “So I want to live” at the crossing.
The music played. I stood at the end of the corridor, mourners passed by me. They sobbed. It takes one song to pull the trigger of grief.
There is no culture of mourning clothes today. Mourning in Russia was black and white (for children and virgins). The classic is dullness, no sparkles, no gold.
How many times have I looked at the funeral (if we talk about how famous people come to say goodbye), I can say so much that, for example, Alla Pugacheva does not know mourning etiquette - a skirt above the knees, her hair loose without a hat, bright makeup. But that's because no one tells people the right way. However, a good example is Naina Yeltsina: everything at her husband's funeral was as it should be, except for the color of the scarf (he was supposed to be white at the funeral).
There is a requirement for the dress of the masters of ceremonies that it be unique. That is, there were elements in it that are not present in ordinary clothes. Well, the funeral master can't finish the job and sit down as if nothing had happened in public transport. Everything must be left at work. Representatives of different religious denominations sometimes ask masters of ceremonies to add a special element to the costume: Muslims - something green (a bow or armband), Jews throw a tallit (a white blanket with stripes) on a specialist.

Don't kiss the dead

The special task of the master of ceremonies is to ensure the safety of the celebration. Death is accompanied by decay, which can only be stopped with the help of chemicals or freezing.
A dead body gives off gases that remain if there was no autopsy procedure (autoxia). In this case, pressure arises in the peritoneum, as in a car tire (2.5 atmospheres). Because of this, dead bodies explode - I tell the students about the reasons for this. It is dangerous when people rush to the coffin, put pressure on a dead body - gases can come out.
Corpse fluids are also deadly poisonous. Before and during the ceremony, the master must ensure that the body is disinfected. Water, brain fluids, lungs, semen, feces and urine flow out of all openings (including the eyes). If there is no force majeure, then from the morgue the body goes to the thanatopractician - he sews up the body, disinfects it, and does makeup. Only then - to the master of ceremonies.
We also do not recommend kissing the dead, but people cannot be stopped. Why not kiss? It may be, for example, that a man was shaved in the morgue and accidentally touched the top layer of the skin, and liquid leaked out. 43 diseases are transmitted from corpses.
Before the ceremony, the farewell hall, all open areas of the body of the deceased, the coffin are processed by the master of ceremonies and the staff of the funeral home with preparations. Then the deceased goes to the refrigerator (for the chemical to start working, it takes several hours), after that - to the thanatopracticist, for makeup.

It doesn't matter how you die

My work helped me understand that everything is temporary. We come into this world to solve some problems: someone has to suffer, someone has to have fun. It all depends on a past life - we once fulfilled our destiny, some kind of lesson. I know what I live for.
Some souls return to Earth to finish something. That is why sometimes children die. They have not done anything yet, but they are already suffering - this is because of this. They returned for a moment. So it was necessary. If a person has not solved the problem in one life, then in the next incarnation it will be even more difficult to solve it. If the soul has dealt with everything on Earth, then it becomes part of the cosmos - it has a different life.
I don't care how I die.

HOW IS IT CORRECTLY TO SAY FAREWELL TO THE DEAD?

To carry out the funeral of a loved one with dignity, piety and without overlays is a paramount task for the grieving relatives of the deceased. Absolutely every person who has come into contact with death loses stability and becomes a hostage of emotions, which does not always allow one to concentrate entirely on the organizational process. In this case, the best solution would be to turn to ritual agents and not worry about any ill-conceived, missed moments. As a rule, the duties of an agent include explaining the rules of conduct at the ceremony to all those invited: who and where should stand, the sequence of actions, the time of the mourning event, etc. The painful hours of preparation for the funeral turn into a real test. In addition to moral preparation, you should consider a number of tips so that this gloomy day goes smoothly and the way you intended.

An early notification of the death of everyone you would like to see as part of those present at the funeral is considered mandatory. The participants of the ceremony gather specifically for the designated date, that is, the time that you must specify in a personal invitation or telegram. However, the first thing to do is decide on a location. The farewell can be organized at home, in the funeral hall of the mortuary, or, least of all, in the institution where the deceased worked.

After sanitary and hygienic treatment, the body is dressed in new clothes. According to Orthodox burial customs, the hands on the chest of the deceased are folded so that the right hand covers the left. The body in the coffin is half covered with a veil. A whisk is placed on the forehead, an icon is placed on the chest, and a cross is placed in the left hand. All these funeral attributes are purchased in the temple when a funeral service is ordered. After the preparatory procedures in the mortuary and the position in the coffin, the body is ready for display for the last review and farewell. Often, one of the common traditions is still used to bring the deceased to the house and leave it overnight. However, this superstition, generated by folklore, was due only to the fear of burying a person alive. Therefore, vigil next to the body for several days is not a prerequisite. The funeral of the deceased is performed on the third day after death, as required by church tradition. After a permissive prayer and a short funeral litia, the worshipers usually extinguish the candles and approach the deceased to say goodbye to him. This is the moment of giving the last honors. At this time, family members and relatives should be to the right of the coffin, all other invitees - to the left (from the headboard). Relatives, too, first approach the coffin with a bow, kiss the deceased for the last time (an icon on the chest and a halo on the forehead), then other participants in the ceremony. Also, the rite of farewell is accompanied by speeches. To pronounce farewell words or not, everyone decides individually, in accordance with their desires. At the coffin, it is customary to ask for forgiveness for the offenses caused, and to forgive the deceased for what he was guilty of before you during his lifetime. These are parting words, they do not have to be spoken out loud in front of the public, you can do it mentally. If there are no people willing to speak, then following the rules of mourning etiquette, it is supposed to honor the memory of the deceased in silence. Before the procession moves to the cemetery, only close people remain next to the deceased, until the coffin is taken out of the room where the funeral took place. This solemn ceremony helps relatives to cope with the loss they have suffered.

The duration of the ceremony at the cemetery depends on the number of those present and those wishing to make a farewell speech. Family members are allowed to spend as much time at the coffin as they need, because this is the last chance to see the face of a dear person in reality, and not in a photograph. After that, the coffin is closed with a lid and lowered into the grave. Starting with close relatives, each participant throws a handful of earth on the coffin, then the grave is completely covered with earth, a hill is formed and the laying of wreaths begins.

It is forbidden to photograph the deceased and to video record the burial and funeral ceremonies.

Opinions about kissing the dead are divided: some speak of the ceremony as a tribute to past traditions, while others refer to an unreasonably stupid health risk.

What does medicine say about the ritual of kissing the dead?

People often do not even think about their actions when they see off the deceased, partly because of human prejudices, partly because it is accepted in society. However, is it really so important and necessary to kiss the dead at a funeral? If you do not take into account all sorts of superstitions and stories, then kissing the deceased is solely from an aesthetic and hygienic point of view. Of course, at this moment, the relatives of the deceased think little about the aesthetic aspect, and even more so about hygiene - people are completely immersed in the pain of losing a loved one. But you should not forget about the risk of damage to your health either.

Compliance with the farewell ritual by European residents

Unlike the Slavic people, Western society views this ritual negatively, although there are exceptions. According to medical research, tissue breakdown occurs after death after 6-7 hours. It is possible to slow down this process - for this, special chemical solutions are used or simply holding the body at a low temperature. To exclude the decay of tissues is simply impossible. Therefore, close contact with the body of the deceased gives bacteria a chance to spread freely around, affecting not only the environment, but also living people who came to say goodbye to the deceased.

Why is it impossible to kiss a dead person who was previously stricken with a serious illness?

It is especially dangerous to contact the dead who were previously treated, for example, for cancer. People with oncology are kept away from society, while after death, for some reason, they freely give their bodies to relatives in order to say goodbye before the funeral. It turns out that the dose of radiation received during life during a series of procedures undergoes decay along with the tissues. At the same time, relatives, heartbroken, are not only in the same room with the deceased, but also touch him, wash him and kiss him.

And when it comes to hard-to-treat diseases, you should understand:

• various forms of hepatitis;
• tuberculosis;
• meningococcal encephalitis;
• pneumonia;
• other.

Such bodies, subject to serious illnesses during their lifetime, are a real time bomb. And of course, after seeing off the deceased on his last journey, no one will think about disinfecting the premises.

The psychological factor of kissing the dead

A farewell kiss is not always appropriate. For example, if it is customary in a family or society to say goodbye to a relative in this way, it is better to save children and especially impressionable people from performing this ritual - psychological trauma may occur. After all, this action is not a measure of love and the pain of loss. It is quite possible that from a purely psychological point of view, a person is simply not ready to say goodbye in this way to the deceased, no matter how much he loved him during his lifetime.

Where is the right place to kiss the dead?

The last kiss - or a kiss on the forehead of the deceased has a direct connection with the burial ritual. Kissing takes place in the area where the third eye is located - according to beliefs, a kiss on the forehead erases the memory of the trials that have passed in life before the soul is reborn on earth again. In this case, the so-called "last kiss" takes place in a special crown placed on the head of the deceased. As a second option, you can kiss an icon that is placed near his left hand or on his chest, in which case the Orthodox cross is placed in the left hand of the deceased.

On the tape placed on the forehead of the deceased for kissing, the following images can be applied:

1. Jesus Christ.
2. phrases of the Holy Song.
3. Mother of God.
4. John the Baptist.

Some customs allow kissing the hand or lips of the deceased, but in practice this happens extremely rarely. Alternatively, you can just sit next to the coffin, holding the hand of the deceased, touch the leg, ask for forgiveness for everything and say goodbye.

Note.

Note: Do not take small children to funerals.

Firstly, this is not the right place for a child, and secondly, he may be at a very young age and not appreciate the farewell “event”. In Muslim society, the “farewell kiss” is also given to the deceased - by touching the forehead or just the face with the lips. This is an expression of great love or respect for the deceased person. While the Jews consider it sacrilege to disturb the body and soul of the deceased. According to the rules in force in Jewish society, the remains of the deceased are not shown, and the lid of the coffin is tightly closed. Therefore, it is not necessary to kiss and touch the deceased in every possible way - the Jews say goodbye to the deceased in their thoughts or by touching the lid of the coffin.

There are many opinions about whether it is possible to kiss a dead person at a funeral. All funeral traditions have roots in the distant past. In modern times, people don’t really think about them, so they perform all actions unconsciously, because it’s customary. So is it possible to kiss the deceased and how to do it right?

Medical point of view

If you do not take into account all the mystical superstitions and signs, then kissing the deceased is simply unhygienic and unsafe for health. Naturally, at the time of the death of a close and dear person, no one really thinks about it. People are overwhelmed with grief. But it is still recommended to remember that everyone who comes into contact with the body of the deceased, seeing him off on his last journey, risks his health.

In the body of a corpse, after 9 hours, irreversible processes of tissue destruction begin to occur, which can be slowed down with the help of chemicals or cold, but cannot be completely stopped. Close contact with a corpse can cause particular danger. There are some types of bacteria that in a dead body begin to multiply and spread very actively and at a high speed, while they get on the clothes of the deceased person, on the bedspread, coffin, walls of the room where the deceased is.

Cadaverous bacteria and toxins, when penetrating into the mucous membranes or into a scratch of an absolutely healthy person, will not bring severe harm to his health.

The maximum that can be is purulent inflammation. If a person is weakened due to illness or severe stress, then there may be more serious poisoning in the form of a severe allergic reaction, inflammatory processes in the body. Moreover, the corpse emits a special strong intoxicating gas, from which a living person can start hallucinations, dizziness, loss of consciousness. Because of this, it is not necessary to stay indoors with the deceased for a long time.

A person can die not only from cardiovascular diseases or from injuries, but also from serious bacterial and viral infections, which do not disappear from the body after death. It could be:

1. tuberculosis;
2. hepatitis;
3. pneumonia;
4. meningitis;
5. encephalitis.

Another danger is people who died from oncology. These patients are treated with high doses of radiation. For example, this is how cobalt therapy is performed, in which a person receives a dose in a tightly closed room with thick walls. Such procedures are carried out in such premises where access to personnel is closed. And after the death of these patients, they are freely given to relatives, so there is no need to touch the naked body of the deceased.

It turns out that during their lifetime these people were contagious and dangerous, and after death they are brought to a residential apartment and they stay there for a long time, they are touched, kissed, hugged. After that, the housing is not processed in any way. Sometimes the bodies of the dead can become a real biological weapon. Unfortunately, heartbroken relatives absolutely do not think about it. Therefore, it is not necessary to kiss a deceased relative (or acquaintance) due to hygienic reasons.

After saying goodbye to the deceased, as soon as you return from the cemetery, you must definitely wash your hands with soap, or better, take a shower.

Where to kiss a deceased relative

If necessary or desired, you can kiss the deceased in a special crown on his forehead. This attribute is issued in the church before the funeral. It is a whisk, a not very wide ribbon of paper or fabric, on which images are applied:

• Jesus Christ;
• Virgin;
• John the Baptist;
• phrases of the Holy Song.

After the end of the funeral service, at parting before burial, when the candles are extinguished, all those present say goodbye and usually kiss the crown on the forehead of the deceased or the icon placed near the left hand. It is safe and there is nothing to disdain. They can place an icon on the chest, and put an Orthodox cross in the left hand, which can also be kissed when parting.

According to customs, in some areas it is customary to say goodbye by kissing the deceased on the lips or hands in turn. It is also allowed to bow at the tomb and ask for forgiveness for all sins. You can sit, hold on to the coffin or the legs of the deceased, mentally ask for forgiveness and say goodbye.

Prejudice and mysticism

According to the ancient story, if you say goodbye to a dead kiss on the lips, then the spirit of the deceased, who is on earth until the fortieth day, can settle in the body of the kisser. In this case, a person will suffer from anxiety, terrible dreams, health problems.

There is an opinion that if you say goodbye to the deceased and kiss him on the lips or on the cheek, then soon after that you can get very sick and even die. But when a very close person dies, then you won’t really think about where to kiss him, in such cases they press, and hug, and kiss in different places.

Psychological aspect

In addition to the mystical point of view, there is also a psychological one. Kissing a dead person on the lips or cheek can be difficult for many, and should not be forced. Do not succumb to pressure from friends and relatives. Everyone must decide for himself.

Many cannot even overcome themselves to kiss a relative. In such difficult periods, the closest people, on the contrary, are not able to restrain themselves and often “kiss” the close deceased. And this is understandable, they have the last moments with a person dear to their hearts, when they can still be hugged, held by the hand. For some, on the contrary, it is difficult to touch the deceased, so the realization will come that the loved one is already cold and inanimate. Often both children and teenagers are taken to the funeral.

If they are not ready to kiss the deceased, then they should not be forced.

This can be a serious psychological trauma for them.

In Western Europe, no one kisses the dead, it is not accepted among them. In Muslim countries, they always said goodbye to the deceased, also through a kiss on the forehead or face. This is also considered a sign of respect. Jews do not touch the body of the deceased without unnecessary need. The coffin is closed immediately, no one puts the remains on display. That's why you shouldn't kiss them.

Of course, everyone decides for himself how to act. According to Orthodox traditions and canons, if you want to express love and respect for the deceased, then for this they kiss the crown on the forehead and the icon in their hands. This is an act of farewell to the deceased.

If this is a relative or very close, then farewell may be accompanied by kisses.

If a person is present at parting with a distant person, not a relative, then it will be enough to bow and say goodbye to him or stand aside.

Every person on this earth has the two most important events in life - this is birth and death. Between these two events is 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 the burial of a person dear to you.

Not often, but it happens that a person thinks about his future death and prepares his coffin 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 the standards of a person, he begins to "pull" him into himself. And a person, as a rule, passes away faster. Previously, to prevent this from happening, sawdust, shavings, grain were poured into an empty coffin. After the death of a person, sawdust, shavings, and grain were also buried in a pit. After all, if you feed a bird with such grain, it will get sick.

When a person has died and a measure is taken from him to make a coffin, in no case should the measure 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 items from the deceased: after all, this is exactly 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 start washing. This must be done after the funeral.

When a coffin is made, relatives and friends are forbidden to participate in this. The shavings formed during the manufacture of the coffin are best buried in the ground, in extreme cases, thrown into the water.

The bed on which a person died should not be thrown away, as many do. Take her and take her to the chicken coop, let her lie there for three nights, so that, as the legend says, the rooster will sing her three times.

When the time comes to put the deceased in the coffin, then the body of the deceased and his coffin are sprinkled with holy water outside and inside. You can also sprinkle with incense. Then the body is transferred to the coffin. A whisk is placed on the forehead of the deceased. It is given in the church when the deceased is brought to the funeral service. The mouth of the deceased must be closed, eyes closed, arms folded crosswise on the chest, right over left. The Christian woman's head is covered with a large scarf that completely covers her hair, and its ends can not be tied, but simply folded crosswise. A tie should not be worn on a deceased Orthodox Christian. An icon or cross is placed in the left hand of the deceased; for men - the image of the savior, for women - the image of the Mother of God. And you can do this: in the left hand - a cross, and on the chest of the deceased - a Holy image. A pillow, which is 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 torso with your hands. This is due to the fact that in the place where you took it with your hand, various skin growths in the form of a tumor can grow.

If there is a dead person in the house, then, meeting your acquaintance or relatives there, you should greet with a bow of your 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, then members of your family may soon fall ill, or worse will happen.

During the funeral, you can not visit the graves of relatives and friends located in the same cemetery.

The ritual must be completed to the end for one person.

Do not listen to those people who advise putting two needles crosswise on his lips to save the body of the deceased from decomposition. By this you will not save the body of the deceased, but the needles that were on his lips will surely disappear, they are used to induce damage.

In order to prevent a heavy smell from the deceased, you can put a bunch of sage in his head, the people call it "cornflowers". It also serves another purpose - to drive away "evil spirits". For the same purposes, you can use willow branches, which are holy on Palm Sunday and are kept behind the images. These branches can be placed under the deceased.

A man died, his body was put in a coffin, and the bed on which he died has not yet been taken out. Friends or strangers may come up to you with a request 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 harm yourself.

Do not put fresh flowers in the coffin of the dead. For this purpose, use artificial or, in extreme cases, dried.

A candle is lit near the coffin as a sign that the deceased has passed into the realm of light - a better afterlife.

A lamp or a candle is lit in the house, which burns as long as the dead person is in the house.

Instead of a candlestick for candles, glasses are often used, into which wheat is poured. Some people sprinkle others with this wheat 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 far away.

It happens when, out of ignorance, some compassionate mothers put photographs of their children in the coffin of their grandparents. After that, the child began to get sick, and if help was not provided in time, a fatal outcome could occur.

You can not give your things to dress the dead. The deceased is buried, and the one who gave his things begins to get sick.

A coffin with a dead person is taken out of the house, and someone is standing near the door and begins to tie knots on rags. He explains this operation to people by tying knots so that no more coffins are taken out of this house. Although the mind of such a person is completely different ...

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 at this time, and you need to say goodbye to your loved one in advance - before the funeral.

When a dead person is carried to a cemetery, in no case should you cross his path, as various tumors may form on your body. If this happened, then you should take the hand of the deceased, always the right one, and run all your fingers over the tumor and read “Our Father”. This must be done three times, after each time spitting over the left shoulder.

When a dead person is carried down the street in a coffin, try not to look out 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 induce 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 incur damage to yourself.

If you are afraid of the dead, take hold of the legs of the deceased and hold on. This can be done before being placed in the grave.

Sometimes people can throw earth from the grave into their bosoms or by their collars, proving that in this way one can avoid the fear of the dead. Do not believe - this is done to induce damage.

Returning from the 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 not to bring damage to the home.

The funeral is over, and according to the old Christian custom, water and some food are placed in a glass on the table to treat the soul of the deceased.

Make sure that young 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 commemoration, the deceased, according to tradition, is poured a glass of vodka. Do not drink it if someone advises you.

There is a dead person 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 come to the grave of a loved one to tear out grass, paint a fence or plant something, start digging and dig up things that should not be there. In this case, everything that you found must be taken out of the cemetery and burned. When it burns, try not to fall under the smoke, otherwise you can get sick yourself.

Burials on New Year's Eve are a very bad omen: in the coming year, they will bury at least once a month.

The funeral on Sunday predicts three more funerals during the week.

It is dangerous to delay a funeral, for whatever reason. Then one, two or three deaths in the family or in the nearest district will occur within a week or a month.

If the funeral is postponed until next week, then it is certainly unfortunate, because the dead man will try his best to take someone with him.

After the funeral, do not go to any of your friends or relatives to visit.

In the heads of the graves of young men and women, viburnum is planted.

In the first seven days after the death of the deceased, do not take anything out of the house.

Until 40 days, do not distribute the things of the deceased to relatives, friends or acquaintances.

If one of you has died a close 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 hard, then for an easier death, remove a pillow of feathers from under his head. In the villages, the dying person is laid on straw.

To alleviate the death agony of the patient, it is necessary to cover with white material, which will later be used for upholstery of the coffin.

When there is a dead person in the house, in the neighboring houses one should not drink water in the morning, which was in buckets or pots. It must be poured out, and freshly poured.

It is desirable that the washing of the body of the deceased takes place during daylight hours - from sunrise to sunset. Water after ablution must be handled with great care. It is necessary to dig a hole far from the yard, garden and living quarters, where people do not go, and pour everything, to the last drop, into it and cover it with earth. The fact is that very strong damage is done on the water in which the deceased was washed. Therefore, do not give this water to anyone, no matter who turns to 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 the illness of the unborn child, as well as women who are menstruating.

As a rule, only elderly women prepare the deceased for their last journey.

The shroud must be sewn on a live thread and always with a needle away from you so that there are no more deaths in the house.

In Russia in the old days

In the house where the dying person was lying, they took out all the keys from the keyholes and opened the doors and windows so that the human soul could leave the body without interference. When a person gave his soul to God, he was necessarily washed so that he appeared before the Lord clean in soul and body.

When washing the deceased, strict rules were observed. The deceased was laid with his feet 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 a healthy person would not step on this place, and also so that the sorcerer would not take it for himself to induce damage. They did the same with water, which was used to wash the dishes after the wake and the floors after the removal of the deceased from the house. They also tried to get rid of other attributes of ablution as soon as possible.

In the coffin of the deceased, they put his baptismal pectoral cross, a small icon, a halo on his forehead, candles and a “manuscript” - a written prayer that forgives sins. They give a towel (handkerchief) to the hands so that the deceased can wipe the sweat from his face during the 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.

The 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, they curtain or turn the “face” to the wall of the mirror so that the human soul does not remain locked on the other side of the mirror. They also stop all clocks as a sign that a person's life path is completed. Before the funeral, his friends and relatives come to say goodbye to a person, but 20 minutes before the removal of the body, only the closest relatives should remain with the deceased.

Take out the rubbish in front of the dead person from the house - take everyone out of the house.

In preparation for the removal of the body, first the wreaths and the portrait of the deceased are taken out of the house, then the lid of the coffin (with the narrow part forward), and only at the end the coffin itself (the deceased is carried forward with their feet). At the same time, thresholds and jambs should not be touched, so that the deceased would not be tempted to return home.

“The dead man is one of the houses out,” they say, taking him out and locking the tenants in the house for a while. According to the old tradition, it is impossible to take out the deceased before noon and after sunset, so that the setting sun could “capture” the deceased with it. Relatives should not carry a coffin, so that the deceased does not take a blood relative with him to the grave.

After taking the coffin out of the house, all the floors must be washed (previously, not only the floors, but the whole house were washed with water alone).

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”, will not return in his wake.

At funerals, it is customary to present cakes, sweets, and handkerchiefs to those present. This is nothing more than the distribution of alms, which obliges those who received it to pray for the deceased. At the same time, the worshipers take on some of the sins of the deceased.

Arriving home after the funeral, you need to warm your hands so as not to bring the grave cold into the house. After the commemoration, 40 days of intoxication are not taken into the mouth. At the commemoration, they drink only vodka, and those who come are sure to be fed pancakes and kutya.

For the soul of the deceased, a stack of vodka, covered with a slice of bread, is placed on the table. It must stand for 40 days, while the human soul has not completely left this world.

At the wake, they do not stay long. Six weeks after the funeral, a glass of water should be on the windowsill, and a towel should be hung on the corner of the house, outside by the window, so that the soul could bathe and dry off before the wake. On the fortieth day, the soul of the deceased comes to his house for a 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, there are special days in the folk calendar on which the Orthodox commemorate those who have moved to another world.

We must always remember that at a funeral or with the help of funeral paraphernalia, the most severe damage is induced. Therefore, if something incomprehensible happened at the funeral or you suspect something in yourself, contact an experienced

master. In no case should you get rid of such damage on your own or using numerous and useless articles on the Internet.