The Preparation of the Body of the Deceased and Ceremonies at Home
Funerals mark the end of life and the passage of the individual into the afterlife where he or she joins generations of ancestors. All people prepare for death and everyone over 50 has a funeral bundle containing clothes for burial, cloth to line the coffin, candles for the funeral service, a cross to place in the hands of the deceased, and the prokhidna, a paper bought in church. Rushnyky or ritual towels and kerchiefs to give as gifts to those who help with the funeral may also be included. Women prepare these bundles for themselves and their husbands and widowed brothers.
Once a person has died, he or she is washed by post- menopausal women who are friends and neighbors; relatives should not touch the deceased. The body is laid out in the icon corner with the head toward the icons and the feet toward the door. The deceased must spend at least one night in the home. Three nights is considered desirable, but this is often impractical. While the body lies in state, someone reads the Psalter. Ideally, this should be the deacon, but in most cases it is one of the women who washed the body. These women also keep vigil through the night.
The funeral normally takes place in the afternoon. The morning is used to prepare for the wake and the afternoon hour insures that everyone will leave the cemetery before dark. The funeral begins with a service in the home. During the service, the candles from the funeral bundle are lit and held for a while by the relatives, who then pass them back to the others present. When the candles burn down, the stubs are placed in the coffin to light the way to the other world for the deceased.
After the service, the relatives say goodbye to the deceased and the coffin is removed from the home. As the coffin is taken out the door, it is either lowered three times or tapped three times against the doorjamb so that the deceased can part with his home.
