It’s a wonderful Communist life
traditions have been observed in Belgium and Germany.
according to William Coggeshall’s 1865 account, The Journeys Of Lincoln, when abraham Lincoln’s body lay in state in the east room of the White House on april 18, 1865, mourners found: ‘The windows at either end of the room were draped with black barege [a silky fabric], the frames of the mirrors between the windows, as well as those over the marble mantles, being heavily draped with the same material.
‘The heavy gildings of the frames were entirely enshrouded, while the mirrors were covered with white crepe.’
There are various reasons why such practices came about. One superstition holds that if a person sees his or her image in a mirror after there has been a death, he or she will soon die, too.
It was also believed that if the soul of the newly departed saw their reflection in the mirror, they would become trapped and not be able to leave to begin their afterlife. This might cause the spirit to remain in this world as a ghost.
In documenting the custom of covering mirrors in China in 1910, reginald Fleming Johnston wrote: ‘If the dead man happens to notice a reflection of himself in the glass he will be much horrified to find that he has become a ghost, and much disappointed with his own appearance as such.’
Closing the curtains affords mourners privacy and is also an indication to the outside world that there has been a death in the family.
The custom of stopping the clocks is to allow people time to mourn the deceased without having to consider worldly affairs. It also records the time of death, which is seen as a mark of respect.
Liam Connell, Belfast.