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by daisymae19 on May 31st, 2007
to celebrate the life of the deceased and to find comfort in company or otherss who knew and/or loved the deceased.
by Perryman on May 31st, 2007
Here is the history of this ancient custom. According to one reference work, this custom “probably began because people believed that evil spirits might possess an unburied corpse if it were left alone.” However, it has also been suggested that the practice of friends and neighbors gathering to keep an all-night vigil over a corpse originated in the superstitious dread “of passing the night alone with a dead body.”
Casting further light on the matter of holding a wake for the dead, the Encyclopaedia Britannica states: “The custom, as far as England was concerned, seems to have been older than Christianity, and to have been at first essentially Celtic. Doubtless it had a superstitious origin, the fear of evil spirits hurting or even removing the body. . . . With the introduction of Christianity the offering of prayer was added to the vigil. As a rule the corpse, with a plate of salt on its breast, was placed under the table, on which was liquor for the watchers. These private wakes soon tended to become drinking orgies.
by medeous on May 31st, 2007
i believe that, originally, wakes were held to watch for signs of life - to make sure the deceased was truly dead before burial.
this has evolved into a gathering that is a combination of mourning the passing and celebrating the life of the deceased
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by SammieWPerry on June 19th, 2010
| 1 person likes this
do u know a different version of i am ice cream man
by dano500 on August 13th, 2010
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do you often think of your death??
by angie1789 on September 27th, 2010
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If God had an accident (and all his military and security forces and the aliens too) heaven forbid! and passed away,...
by Ben010 on August 2nd, 2010
| 1 person likes this
Do you want a classic viking funeral?
by Have A Nice Day on November 14th, 2010
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