The Era Of Funerals Ciara victor

Death.Darkness.Detrimental. Funerals are not the happiest events taken place in the Victorian Era. Throughout the 1820s, there were many traditions and rules some people followed when it came to burials and mourning because they didn’t have the advantages that we have today so they took many careful steps when dealing with the dead.
In the Victorian Era, they had preparations a little different than ours today. "The garments worn in life have taken its place, and men and women are dressed as in life." This demonstrates how they prepare the body to look like they still have life in them and to give a feeling of comfort to friends and family. They do this also to symbolize that it’s only the person’s body in the casket and not them. Meaning that there spirit is still alive just not in their skeleton. "The body was watched over every minute until burial, hence the custom of “waking”. The wake also served as a safeguard from burying someone who was not dead, but in a coma." The people in the Victorian era didn't have the technology and advancements that we have today. Resulting in a person sitting there for days watching the 'deceased' to see if they're actually dead. Sometimes they would have a schedule for when each person needs to switch out for watching.
In this time zone, they didn't have the best cemeteries. "Not only were church burial sites overcrowded and unsightly, but the appalling state of intramural or inner-city graveyards attracted the complaints of parishioners and reformers." The reformers and the parishioners argued that the proximity of decaying bodies caused outbreaks of fevers among the poor. It was causing all of this illness and disease because there weren’t enough space to put all of the bodies. Resulting in making public cemeteries. "Public cemeteries to Britain began in the 1820s, when church graveyards were running desperately short of space after centuries of burials." This evidence is explaining how they had to start making public cemeteries because the church graveyards starting getting packed with deceased people. The church graveyards weren’t that big and because of everything that was happening in the 1800s, there were a decrease in the population causing less room in the cemeteries. This made them start building the public cemeteries, which are bigger and more sanitary.
There were certain cautions people took to make sure everything went well for them in the Victorian Era. "You should always cover your mouth while yawning so your spirit doesn't leave you and the devil never enters your body." This illustrates that even yawning can ‘hurt’ you and they also say some of these superstitions are to help with manners and respect for the dead too. Yawning without covering your mouth are one of the biggest superstitions out there and in the Victorian Era it was a big deal. "The dead were carried out of the house feet first, in order to prevent the spirit from looking back into the house and beckoning another member of the family to follow him. Family photographs were also sometimes turned face-down to prevent any of the close relatives and friends of the deceased from being possessed by the spirit of the dead." This shows that they carried the deceased out feet first because they felt that looking back in the house can cause a family member that lives in that house to follow them and die sooner. They turned the pictures faced down to prevent any friends or family that come in the house because they can be possessed by the person that died. These are just silly superstitions to us, but in the Victorian Era, they took these very serious.

In the beginning of the Victorian era, it wasn’t the cleanest

"George Alfred Walker (1807-1884), whose Gathering from Graveyards, published in 1839, described the horror of broken coffins, exposed corpses, and the stench of decay in vivid and imaginative terms"

He wrote his book on the unhealthy circumstances of the bodies and the area. He convinced his readers that deplorable burial practice and overcrowded graveyards were endangering the health of the nation.

"Edwin Chadwick (1800-1890) was also an important figure in these campaigns for improved sanitary practices and the establishment of cemeteries. Chadwick's work on the royal commission appointed to investigate the archaic Poor Law in the early 1830s led to the reforms in the attempts to rectify poverty."

Edwin Chadwick argued that poverty was the result of disease and sick health. He also said that these problems were exacerbated by environmental filth, including effect on animals and human decomposition. This created toxic gases and liquids that attacked the air and water making it very dangerous.

Back in the Victorian Era, there were certain rules you had to follow for the funeral.

"Persons attending a funeral are not expected to be present much before the hour appointed. Previous to this time it is well for the family of the deceased to take their last view of the remains, and thus avoid confusion"

It is respectful for only the family to see their deceased relative and it helps for only the family to see because it helps people identify who is actually related to the deceased. It also lets them have privacy with the loved one they lost and if people do show up early they are not allowed in. Showing up early to the funeral show really bad manners also.

"Upon the coffin of the infant or young person, to lay a wreath of white flowers, and upon that of a married person a cross of white blossoms. Upon the coffin of a navy or army officer, the hat, epaulets, sash, sword and the flag may be borne;"

In the Victorian Era, they had different types of things to show what the age of who died, their relationship status, and if they served. They did this because it was tradition and because they didn't have funerals with caskets open so it would make it evident of who died.

Since the Victorian Era, funerals and burials have evolved tremendously. In this time zone, it was very different from how it is now.

Credits:

Created with images by alexanpaulo - "cemetery tomb art sculptures" • scrapbookingfanatic - "angel tombstone death" • sayerst - "cemetery grave death" • footloosiety - "Norah yawning"

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