WHY ARE THESE STRANGE CUSTOMS OBSERVED WHEN SOMEONE DIES: From covering mirrors to returning from a FUNERAL via a different path
There are several unusual customs that Serbs observe when someone dies.
TL;DR
- Mourning in Serbia involves wearing black, traditionally for a year, but now often for 40 days, with no participation in festivities.
- Krsna slava (family patron saint's day) is always celebrated, even after a death, with prayers for the deceased.
- Folk beliefs include staying awake when someone dies to avoid the deceased meeting a sleeping person, and covering mirrors to prevent the spirit from lingering.
- Superstitions also suggest that water used to bathe the deceased is impure and that funeral processions should avoid fields or livestock.
- Some customs involve warding off evil, such as bringing sick children before a funeral procession or throwing soil at the cemetery for good luck.