Since ancient times, great attention has been paid to funeral rituals, a special place among which is occupied by the preparation of the deceased for burial. Over hundreds of years, different nationalities have developed certain traditions regulating the order of actions and the form of clothing of the deceased, which can vary depending on the position and gender of the person. It is believed that the well-being of the deceased in the afterlife depends on compliance with established orders.
Preparing for the burial of dead people
Deceased people, regardless of age and gender, are usually buried in clothes and in compliance with certain rituals and procedures. First, the body is taken to the morgue, where it is:
- wash (this is done by morgue employees, specially hired people or acquaintances of the deceased, but not related to him, mostly women);
- retouch if there are visible scars on the face and open areas of skin;
- embalmed.
They are buried on the third day after death. For the funeral, they purchase a special mourning set for the coffin and vestments for the deceased, including shoes.
In the old days, the water remaining after washing the deceased was poured into a place where people almost never appear and there is no grass. The same was done with the water in which the dishes were washed after the funeral. The bowl in which the rag used for washing was soaked was broken and thrown away. People believed that in this way they would protect themselves from the return of the deceased from the dead in order to torment their relatives (in the form of a spirit, ghost).
Funeral dress from everyday wardrobe
Burial supplies
Without ritual accessories, no burial can be carried out. First of all, regardless of the method of performing the ceremony, a coffin is needed. His choice is influenced by many circumstances: cost, physical parameters of the deceased, type of funeral. For example, for cremation, a coffin made only from natural material is suitable. In addition to it, you will need a bed, a pillow, a blanket.
You should also purchase religious items according to the religion that the deceased professed. In addition, flowers will be required to decorate the coffin.
Some features of the selection of funeral clothing
Clothing for a funeral ceremony is chosen based on existing traditions and the wishes of the deceased, voiced before death. It should be remembered that:
- It is customary for men to be buried in suits (a suit is the only thing that Orthodox Christians bury men in);
- women are buried in a dress or suit consisting of a skirt, blouse and jacket;
- clothes are chosen in discreet dark shades;
- The woman’s head must be tied with a blue or dark green scarf (this will help hide the blueness of her face);
- a suitable kit can be purchased at the funeral home;
- shoes are chosen one size larger than what the deceased wore during his lifetime;
- clothing must be appropriate for the season (in winter they are buried in warm clothes);
- clothes should fit in size, but if they are small or uncomfortable, then they can be cut at the back, it will not be visible (it is better to choose clothes even a little larger);
- all things must be new, an exception is made for cases when they want to bury the deceased in their favorite clothes or uniform;
- You can’t put a deceased person in the thunder, dressed in clothes from someone else’s shoulder, especially in the clothes of close relatives.
Clothing for a funeral for a woman or a man is traditionally black, dark blue or brown. But sometimes they are buried in what the deceased chose for himself before death. This could be your favorite floral dress or a pink wedding suit. In the West they take this calmly. But if the burial ceremony is accompanied by a funeral service, then before choosing clothes for the funeral, a priest is consulted.
Woman's headdress for a funeral
How to dress for a funeral service
According to Orthodox custom, the funeral service for the deceased takes place in the church. Dressing for this ceremony must be according to church rules. Women should wear long skirts and headscarves, but men take off their hats in church. Otherwise, the style of mourning clothing is similar to that of a funeral. If the ceremony takes place in a stone temple, then you should choose warm clothes.
How to dress a dead woman
Women's funeral attire consists of:
- a skirt covering the knees in a dark shade;
- blue or green blouses;
- jacket to match the skirt;
- dark stockings or tights;
- underwear (some funeral agencies dress you in pantaloons and a nightgown);
- hard-soled slippers or flat shoes;
- a scarf on the head (the scarf should cover the hair, its ends cross under the jawline, without tying).
Clothes should not be decorated in any way; beads, rhinestones and even embroidery are not welcome. If necessary, if relatives do not know what to bury an elderly woman in, whose clothes, previously purchased for a funeral, have suddenly become too small, she is placed in a coffin in a shroud (funeral clothing). The suit on the list can be replaced with a dress with a shallow neckline. The neckline must be covered, and the jacket or blouse must have long sleeves.
An example of clothing for a woman's burial
Is it possible to bury a woman in trousers?
Not knowing what a woman is buried in, many try to purchase pantsuits for the ceremony so as not to bother with stockings. But burying a woman in trousers is undesirable. This is contrary to custom, which is why it is the dress or skirt suit that relatives most often choose to dress the deceased. Sometimes women are buried in light-colored dresses and suits, but usually light-colored clothing can only be seen on young deceased women.
Why unmarried girls are buried in a wedding dress, 3 reasons
Girls who did not have time to be married, but have already left infancy, are buried in a wedding dress or in an ordinary light dress. The custom of burying young people in wedding attire arose a long time ago and is associated with:
- white, as a symbol of innocence (the girl is handed over to Jesus Christ and becomes his bride);
- the fact that the soul of a deceased woman who has never been married is supposedly doomed to eternal wandering between the world of the dead and the living, which is dangerous for the latter (the ancient Slavs performed a ritual during funerals similar to the wedding ceremony and thereby protected themselves from a kind of revenge of the restless soul);
- fulfilling the deceased's dream of one day becoming a bride.
The deceased is not just dressed in a wedding dress, but also in all the attributes appropriate for the occasion - a wreath, shoes, a veil. In the villages they bake special “wedding” loaves, and previously they also chose a funeral groom, dressing the tree in a wedding wreath, which they then threw into the grave.
Clothes for single women
What clothes do men bury in?
The only thing that men are buried in, clothing during whose lifetime already rarely occupied a special position, is a suit. Mandatory attributes of a funeral kit are also:
- slippers;
- shirt;
- underwear;
- socks.
A tie, cufflinks or belt are not placed in the coffin along with the deceased, since it is generally not customary to tie anything. If a woman’s outfit has a belt (on a dress, for example), then it is not tied, folded crosswise on the lower back. Do the same with a scarf. An exception is made for men who during their lifetime could not imagine themselves without a tie or belt. In this case, it is permissible to tie a tie and wear a belt in your trousers. Cufflinks, like any other jewelry, are still rejected. And yet, how deceased men are dressed before the funeral is decided by relatives. If mom or brother likes cufflinks and other accessories, they are placed in the coffin.
Rules for choosing clothes for children
Usually small children are not taken to funerals. But if the situation requires it or the child is already in adolescence, their presence at the funeral ceremony is allowed.
In this case, girls should wear a dark, formal dress with a minimum of decorative details. For young men, it is appropriate to opt for formal classic trousers, a dark shirt and a jacket. Sports shoes for children of both sexes will be inappropriate; it is better to choose classic boots or formal shoes.
What are Kazakhs buried in and how?
Preparing the body of a deceased Kazakh for burial begins with washing. Moreover, if the deceased was a man, then this task is entrusted to male persons; women are washed by women. The tools used for washing are buried near the grave. Kazakhs who profess Islam are dressed in:
- akyret (there are female and male versions of this national funeral costume - a shroud, the male one consists of 3 parts, and for women - 5);
- turban if a man died.
For akyret, a thick white cloth is needed, which is used to wrap the body and legs. A man's turban is made from the same fabric. The deceased, previously dressed in akyret, was also wrapped in a carpet, bandaged in three places. Now they can wrap me in felt. The ritual of placing the body in a shroud and sewing it is entrusted to the mullah. After reading all the necessary prayers over the body and performing rituals:
- distribute all the clothes of the deceased;
- they carry the body out of the house head first;
- they place the deceased on a wooden board and read a special prayer over him - zhanaza (only men are present at it);
- they carry the body to the cemetery, carrying it feet first.
During the burial of Muslims, only men are present; women at this time remain at home and perform the required rituals.
Burial of Kazakhs
What are the Chinese buried in?
Traditionally, Chinese people are buried in white robes. Relatives and friends also come to the cemetery in white clothes and bring white flowers with them. This is what they did in ancient times. Nowadays, any clothes except red are used for funerals. This color is considered a symbol of life, therefore it is not used during burial, temporarily removing all objects of a red hue from the house.
Residents of China mortify the dead or burn the bodies in the crematorium. At the same time, it is extremely important that as many people as possible come to the funeral; to attract those who wish, relatives send out special invitations to everyone they know; they can bury or burn their favorite things with the deceased. It is believed that he will be able to use them in the afterlife.
Chinese burial ceremony
What and how are homeless people buried?
Homeless people do not have a specific place of residence, and in most cases nothing is known about their relatives. The burial is handled by the state, allocating funds from the local budget. There is no funeral ceremony as such. The body is taken to the morgue by the police. It remains there until the autopsy and cause of death are determined. After the allotted time, the deceased is placed in a burial bag or in a simple coffin and buried in the nearest cemetery. There is a special place for these purposes.
It is impossible to cremate homeless people; there is always a possibility that after some time the relatives of the deceased will be found and they will want to visit the grave, conduct a church ceremony, or the circumstances of the death will become clear that may be of interest to the police. Everything is very complicated, homeless people die not at home, but on the street, the cause of death is quite easy to establish - cold, alcohol consumption. But sometimes, some time after death, it is also possible to find out why the person ended up on the street and what alcoholic drinks he drank. The perpetrators of the incident are found, the police have to conduct a second autopsy.
What is forbidden to wear on the dead?
No one will judge the relatives if they dress the deceased in clean, but already worn, clothes. The color of the suit, fabric and texture also do not play a role in most cases. But there are some features here:
- A negative attitude towards the color red, the answer to the question of whether one can be buried in a red dress is negative. In ancient times, brides were dressed in red, while white was the color of mourning. Now many people believe that this is the color of blood, which has no place at a funeral. Exceptions are made only for those people who adored red during their lifetime. It’s interesting that in China, scarlet is a symbol of all living things, so the dead there are also not buried in red. Ceremony directors, if invited, know exactly what is needed for a funeral for a woman and a man. The clergyman will help you not to make a mistake with the choice of clothes.
- Beads, necklaces, rings and expensive earrings have no place in a coffin. The soul cannot take anything with it on its final journey, so jewelry placed in the coffin is more likely to attract looters than to help in the Heavenly world. Everything is removed from the deceased, including the wedding ring, if the second spouse is still alive. This is important, the soul of the deceased, with whom the wedding ring was buried, will not be able to rest, and over time it will drag the spouse along with it (Orthodoxy and paganism agree on this).
You cannot dress a deceased relative in the clothes of a close relative, be it a scarf or tights. Old things are things that are not buried in.
Men's mourning outfit
For representatives of the stronger sex, the question of how to dress for a funeral is somewhat simplified.
Surely everyone has a black weekend suit in their wardrobe, which is also called a classic one. It is also ideal for a funeral ceremony, only here instead of a white shirt you should wear a dark one. If there is no suit, then as an alternative we can recommend dark jeans or trousers in combination with a dark turtleneck, sweater or vest. Shirts with patterns, rhinestones and other decorative accessories are excluded. Shorts are also not allowed. Black shoes are ideal for footwear, but sandals should be avoided.
Where to buy clothes for a funeral
Special clothes for burial in Russia are offered for sale by funeral homes. If the deceased was a large or, on the contrary, a miniature person, then finding a suitable set will not be easy. As an option, contact the studio. Clothes should not be tight, it is better to take a size larger, all folds can be easily hidden. A simple dark skirt and blouse is definitely something that would not be embarrassing to bury an elderly woman in.
A ready-made funeral suit will cost more than a regular suit purchased in a store. But buying it has its advantages, one of which is that you can choose clothes of the size that is needed. Not all relatives have the strength and desire to take body measurements in order to go to the store with them and try to purchase everything they need. Many people do not know what young women, grandparents and children are buried in.
Professional assistance with burial
Working for many years in the field of funeral services, the company has built a reputation as a reliable supplier and one of the largest distributors of funeral products.
Our stores have a large selection of funeral products. We will assist you in choosing funeral paraphernalia, based on your wishes and budget, and also organize the funeral of your relative at the proper level. You can call a funeral agent or apply for the purchase of burial items at any time of the day or night by phone.
Who should dress the deceased?
The morgue staff will dress the deceased if you first bring them a suitable set. But this can also be done by relatives or friends. In the old days, only women, elderly or unmarried, had to dress the deceased; the same rule applied to washing the body. Now this is no longer a ritual, but an ordinary everyday process that can be entrusted even to a stranger for a fee.
Seeing off the deceased on his last journey, the relatives understand that they will never see him again in this life. But many people don’t know anything about funerals, what they bury people in, or how it’s done. It is important to bury the body as it should be, with maximum observance of all required rituals. Particular attention is paid to the funeral set and clothing in which the deceased is planned to be placed in the coffin. Men are buried in dark suits, women in dresses or skirt suits. The color and texture of clothing depend on the age of the deceased and his preferences during life.
Color of clothing for a funeral
In choosing, the main thing is to be guided by the rules of the country, as well as the religion of the deceased. In European countries, the main color for ritual services is black - the color of grief and sadness. This is exactly the kind of mourning vestment that is customary among Christians: Orthodox and Catholics. However, lately there have been no strict restrictions on the choice of palette; the main thing is to keep the outfit in strict muted shades: dark gray (graphite), blue, brown. Suits of scarlet, pink, orange, lilac and other rich, cheerful colors will look inappropriate. Such an outfit is regarded as disrespect for the deceased. In addition, its owner will contrast with other members of the ceremony and be the center of attention, which is disrespectful to the family of the deceased.
However, such laws do not apply everywhere. For example, in the Far East, you can offend the relatives of the deceased by wearing black clothes. For the farewell procession in Japan and China, white clothes are chosen. Also, funeral ceremonies and even dishes are decorated in light colors.
The indigenous people of a number of African countries, Madagascar and some regions of Australia cheerfully and brightly say goodbye to the deceased. Here, it is customary to come to the farewell ceremony in national costumes, colorful ritual vestments, or simply colorful things. Also, festive vestments are worn for the burial of deceased Hindus.
