Serbia by Lara Zmukic

Author:Lara Zmukic [Žmukić, Lara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-85733-655-9
Publisher: Kuperard
Published: 2012-10-30T04:00:00+00:00

FUNERALS

In Serbia funerals follow a strict protocol. The deceased is presented in an open coffin in his or her home, and is buried within twenty-four hours of death—or forty-eight if relatives have to travel great distances to the funeral. In cities, and some smaller towns, it is common to use the chapel instead of the home. Elsewhere, the house of the deceased is transformed into a chapel: one room is made available for the coffin, which is placed on a table in the center, and the walls are lined with chairs.

The death is publicized in an osmrtnice, or death notice, attached to various designated places in the area, such as bulletin boards outside workplaces or bus stops. These are small obituary flyers, with black borders and a picture of the deceased, announcing the time and place of the funeral. If the deceased was Christian, the osmrtnice will contain a cross; if the deceased was a Communist, then a five-pointed star will feature instead.

In the past—and still in some rural areas—it was important to inform every house in the village of the death, and a messenger would knock on each door and say the same words without entering into the house or engaging in further conversation. Nowadays, the mobile phone and the posting of osmrtnices perform much the same function.

Soon after death, the deceased is bathed by older relatives, dressed in a new suit, and placed in a coffin with some favorite belongings, such as jewelry, coffee, cigarettes, or money. The dead person must not be left alone even for one moment, so friends and relatives sit with the body all day and night. Since people come to the house to offer condolences over this twenty-four-hour period, there is a continuous assortment of visitors coming and going.

With religious families, the priest comes to the house just before the funeral to conduct prayers, before a bigger service later in church. The funeral procession then walks from the house to the church and the cemetery; a large cross is carried in front of the coffin, followed by the immediate family and the rest of the mourners. At nonreligious funerals the procedure is much the same, except that the procession will bypass the church and walk straight to the cemetery.

In some parts of the country musicians head the procession, playing songs written specifically for funerals. These orchestras might consist of anything from a small folk band to a twenty-piece brass band. It is sometimes customary for the women of the family to weep loudly—almost singing—during the funeral, creating an atmosphere of melancholy and sorrow. When the women of the family don’t know how to weep in this way, the family pays another woman to perform the task for them.

After the church service, speeches are made at the graveside before the coffin is lowered into the ground. In past times, and even today in some parts of southern Serbia, a white bedsheet was placed on the grave once the coffin had been lowered and covered

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