Pembroke Chronicles (American Chronicles) by Proctor Karen Cross

Author:Proctor, Karen Cross [Proctor, Karen Cross]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Inc.
Published: 2015-10-19T04:00:00+00:00

DEARLY DEPARTED

I’ve always thought that the month of October was one of the most beautiful months of the year. As a child, I looked forward to its arrival because it signaled that my birthday was close at hand. As I grew older, I began to appreciate the crisp, cool, clear days and nights—“October’s bright blue weather,” as one poet described it.

October culminates in the celebration of All Saints’ Eve or Halloween (Hallowed Eve) by some Christian denominations. Today, the emphasis on costumes and celebrations of trick or treat hearken back to the holiday’s even earlier pagan roots. The dying back of plant life and the preparation for the long, cold winter have caused October to be viewed as a month when death is, if not celebrated, then at least honored.

With that said, I decided to write a bit about long-forgotten death rituals—called part of the rites of passage by some. From early times until the dawn of the twentieth century, funeral services were held in the home. From the Middle Ages to the colonial period of our history, custom required that the family of the deceased give mourning rings or gloves to mourners, and money was often set aside in the deceased’s will for such expenditures. Mourning rings often had a small receptacle in which to place a lock of the dearly departed’s hair.

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