Post by Steph the Grimreaper on Apr 4, 2007 23:47:23 GMT -5
DEATH RITUALS AND CUSTOMS---
Spirits surround us all the time. These must all be carefully guarded
against, or combated by the use of spells and charms. For Roma, death is
senseless, an unnatural occurance that should anger those who die. At the
approach of death, Roma are concerned not only with the pain and heart break
of the final seperation from a loved one. They are also worried about
possible revenge the dead. or Mula~3, might seek, against those that remain
int he world of the living. The dieing Roma, must never be left alone. This
is not only out of comapassion for his condition, but also for fear of
possible anger. He must not die in his or her habitual place. There are many
superstitions, omens of death, the most common of which is the cry of the
Owl. According to Traditional Romani beliefs, life for the dead continues
onto another level. However, there is a great fear among the survivors that
the dead might return in supernatural form to haunt the living. It is for
this reason that the name of the dead should not be mentioned, that the body
should not be touched, and that all objects that belonged to the dead must
be destroyed. The survivors must be protected in every way from evil
MariumA~@ spirits that the dead can emit. To avoid this, stones or thorn
bushes are sometimes placed around the grave. The Roma believe that the soul
of the dead might be reincarnated in another man or animal. Most feared of
all is the possible reappearence of the dead as a MulA~3 or>.
Unless strict precautions are taken, this MulA~3 might escape from the body
and seek revenge on those who had harmed him when living or had caused his
death.
Spirits surround us all the time. These must all be carefully guarded
against, or combated by the use of spells and charms. For Roma, death is
senseless, an unnatural occurance that should anger those who die. At the
approach of death, Roma are concerned not only with the pain and heart break
of the final seperation from a loved one. They are also worried about
possible revenge the dead. or Mula~3, might seek, against those that remain
int he world of the living. The dieing Roma, must never be left alone. This
is not only out of comapassion for his condition, but also for fear of
possible anger. He must not die in his or her habitual place. There are many
superstitions, omens of death, the most common of which is the cry of the
Owl. According to Traditional Romani beliefs, life for the dead continues
onto another level. However, there is a great fear among the survivors that
the dead might return in supernatural form to haunt the living. It is for
this reason that the name of the dead should not be mentioned, that the body
should not be touched, and that all objects that belonged to the dead must
be destroyed. The survivors must be protected in every way from evil
MariumA~@ spirits that the dead can emit. To avoid this, stones or thorn
bushes are sometimes placed around the grave. The Roma believe that the soul
of the dead might be reincarnated in another man or animal. Most feared of
all is the possible reappearence of the dead as a MulA~3 or>.
Unless strict precautions are taken, this MulA~3 might escape from the body
and seek revenge on those who had harmed him when living or had caused his
death.