Funerals can be hard to bear. For many others, the pain of loss is simply too overwhelming. So why would someone pay people to cry at their funeral?
This was not uncommon in the ancient world. It was very customary for rich people of the time to hire women to cry for them at their funerals.
There are documented cases of professional mourners from all over the world, whether Rome, Greece, China, Egypt, the Middle East or South Asia, and the reasons behind them are fascinating.
Jump to
- Roman funerals
- Tradition in Greece
- The Rudaalis of India
Roman funerals
Carole Raddato
While there are examples of professional mourners around the world, the best-documented case of professional mourning comes from Rome.
The Roman funeral, like most ancient societies, was a rite of passage marking the deceased’s change between the states of life and death. The commotion created by the Roman funerals was notable.
The more striking the parade, with mimes and musicians, the richer and more famous the person will be. It is possible that the poorest people would have only had a few flute players.
Tradition in Greece
Meanwhile, in Greece, the ancient practice of professional dueling is practiced today. The tradition dates back to at least the 8th century BC in this region.
This burial rite began with the family and friends of the deceased improvising laments during the prosthesis, which was when the body was left out for public inspection on the second day.
A clay plaque by the Gela painter, for example, depicts a prosthesis in which the deceased is in a bed surrounded by relatives, some of whom pull their hair out. Roman mourners were likely inspired by this. After all, the Romans loved to imitate the Greeks.
The Rudaalis of India
Frequent questions
Women dressed in black sobbed and beat their chests on the ground in front of Thakurs in Rajasthan. Their wet cheeks were dirty, but they didn’t bother to wipe them. They all remained there, grieving and lamenting death.
Rudaalis, or professional mourners, is the name given to these ladies. Yes, they make a living from mourning. They dress only in black, the color of Yama, the god of death. They are from a lower caste and society prohibits them from having children because if a grieving mourner finds happiness, who would cry at funerals?
It may seem like a strange race to us, but tradition demands it in the interior of Rajasthan. As you will see, upper caste women are not allowed to show their feelings in public. They are usually kept under veils and inside havelis. Speaking to Nidhi Dugar Kundalia for her book The Lost Generation, said an upper caste boy.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn