What were Victorian funerals like?

The mourning process was strictly kept in Victorian times. A wreath of laurel or boxwood tied with crape or black veiling was hung on the front door to alert passersby that a death had occurred. The body was watched over every minute until burial, hence the custom of “waking”.

How did Victorians mourn?

Following Victoria's example, it became customary for families to go through elaborate rituals to commemorate their dead. This included wearing mourning clothes, having a lavish (and expensive) funeral, curtailing social behavior for a set period of time, and erecting an ornate monument on the grave.

How long did Victorians mourn?

For children mourning parents (or vice versa), the mourning period was one year; for grandparents and siblings, six months; mourning aunts and uncles, two months; for great uncles and aunts, six weeks; for first cousins, four weeks.

How did the Victorians celebrate death?

Unwilling to forget, Victorians commemorated their loved ones' lives in the form of jewellery inscribed with a name, letters and other mementoes such as the deceased's personal items; there was a particular fascination with keeping a lock of hair, an act which asserted the dead person's presence in the land of the ...

Why were the Victorians so obsessed with death?

Another reason why the Victorians were so ritualistic in their methods of grieving is because death was simply a way of life due to the high mortality rates (Hunter). In London, the average lifespan for middle to upper class males was 44 years of age, 25 for tradesman, and 22 for laborers (Hunter).

We Recreated A Victorian Funeral

Did the Victorians fear death?

While many didn't fear death, they did fear not being properly mourned; it was an extremely common practice to hold a funeral at home and “it was customary to prepare the home for the 'death watch', the time between dying and the funeral”.

What was the average age of death in Victorian England?

Although Victorians who attained adulthood could expect to live into old age, average life expectancy at birth was low: in 1850 it was 40 for men and 42 for women.

What is a Victorian funeral?

The mourning process was strictly kept in Victorian times. A wreath of laurel or boxwood tied with crape or black veiling was hung on the front door to alert passersby that a death had occurred. The body was watched over every minute until burial, hence the custom of “waking”.

Why were mirrors covered when someone dies?

The Irish wake is a well-known funeral tradition where the family of the deceased covers all mirrors in the home. To hide the physical body from the soul, the family turns mirrors to face the wall. Some Irish superstitions say that if you look in a mirror long enough, you'll see a devil looking over your shoulder.

What traditions did the Victorians follow after the death of a relative?

During the Victorian era, the tradition of laying flowers in and around the coffin and sending flowers to honor the dead was started. Photos would be taken of the flowers as a memorial picture or made into parlor cards that were sent to loved ones or placed in photo albums.

How long did Victorian widows wear black?

Special black caps and bonnets were worn with these ensembles. Widows were expected to wear these clothes up to four years after their loss to show their grief. Jewelry often made of dark black jet or the hair of the deceased was used. To remove the costume earlier was thought disrespectful to the deceased.

Why are weeds called widows?

The term "widow's weeds" refers to the black clothing worn (principally) by female widows during the Victorian era, which dictated a strict "etiquette of mourning" that governed both their behavior and their appearance following the deaths of their husbands.

What is a Victorian mourning ring?

A mourning ring is a finger ring worn in memory of someone who has died. It often bears the name and date of death of the person, and possibly an image of them, or a motto. They were usually paid for by the person commemorated, or their heirs, and often specified, along with the list of intended recipients, in wills.

How long was mourning in the 1800s?

The recommended length of time for mourning a parent or child was one year, six to nine months for a grandparent, and six months for a sibling. By contrast, men had it much easier. Widowers mourned for up to six months and often even less. They were encouraged to remarry more than widows.

What is a funeral baby doll?

When a child died, it was traditional for families who could afford it to have a life-sized wax effigy of the child made for the funeral. The doll would often be dressed in the deceased infant or child's own clothing, and most of the deceased child's own hair would be used to make the doll even more realistic.

What are mourning clothes called?

Widows, in particular, wore mourning dress, called widow's weeds, complete with a veil when out in public for a long period of time after the death of their husbands.

Why do they stop a clock when someone dies?

Someone has died, and stopping the clocks in the house of the deceased, silencing them, is an old tradition, similar to closing the blinds or curtains and covering the mirrors. The clock would be set going again after the funeral. Some people believe stopping the clock was to mark the exact time the loved one had died.

Why does it rain when someone dies?

Rain During a Funeral Procession

The funeral procession being rained on simply meant the deceased was walking through the pearly gates of heaven as you were traipsing to the cemetery carrying their coffin so you could bury their corpse.

Why are shiva chairs low?

Among the many traditions that are an essential part of Shiva is the arrangement of the seating. The seating for family members is customarily either low stools/chairs or boxes, so that the immediate mourners are actually seated below the visiting mourners.

Why is a grave 6 feet deep?

People may have also buried bodies 6 feet deep to help prevent theft. There was also concern that animals might disturb graves. Burying a body 6 feet deep may have been a way to stop animals from smelling the decomposing bodies. A body buried 6 feet deep would also be safe from accidental disturbances like plowing.

What did Victorian undertakers wear?

They dress in black with a long alpacca gown trimmed with velvet thrown around them. From their hats to their feet flow two long ends of a bow of white Irish linen.

Why do they cover the legs in a casket?

Tradition, Region and Culture

Many people choose a casket that covers their loved one's legs simply because that's how it's usually done in their country.

What people ate to survive the Victorian era?

What three diseases were big killers in Victorian England?

Diseases and epidemics of the 19th century included long-standing epidemic threats such as smallpox, typhus, yellow fever, and scarlet fever. In addition, cholera emerged as an epidemic threat and spread worldwide in six pandemics in the nineteenth century.

What drinks did the Victorians drink?

Lemonade, root beer, hot tea and, yes, Perrier that had recently being introduced, were all popular beverages. Yes, the Victorians loved to eat and drink. We have them to thank for a long running tradition of good food served with gusto and a pint of beer!