Do you remember when people used to put a wreath on their door when someone in their house died?

my family has always put a wreath of mourning on the door, closed the curtains, covered the mirrors. asked great grandma if it was a family thing or a religious thing, she told me " its what a proper family in mourning does" stuck her nose up in the air and refused to answer anthing else. she is 98 so she can say,act and do whatever she wants. i aint arguing.

Do you remember when people used to put a wreath on their door when someone in their house died?
We still do it here in the hills of North Carolina. In fact, the funeral home places little signs on the street to warn you (Slow Down, Funeral), which brackets in the house telling everybody to look for the white wreath.





Then of course all women over the age of 50 look up the obituaries to find out who died, and to reminisce over that person's life.





EVERYBODY in the community goes to visiting hours at the funeral home, and far fewer go to the funeral.
Reply:Yes. Some people in the South Eastern United States still do. I have heard of all of the things mentioned being done. Each act is symbolic. Like stopping the clock, covering the mirrors, and the wreth. I am not sure what they mean. The site below provides some reasons as to why people do such things.
Reply:I don't know why,but in our family,closing the curtains in the day was a sign that someone had died.
Reply:yes, it is still done where i live in North Carolina.
Reply:I think it's an old custom that has since been abolished. I do remember during WWII, when a serviceman was killed in the line of duty, there would be some kind of memorial, either on the door or window.
Reply:Well not personally but I do know it was done in the late 19th and early 20th C. I'm old but not quite that old.





I also know that people when there was a death in the family had calling cards trimming in black or grey. That women were expected to wear black, grey or dark lavender for a year after the death. That's where wearing black to a funeral originated with. I don't always wear black, I'll use navy or dark grey or dark purple when I go to funerals, but I've seen people wear pastels, neon colours and all sorts of other colours in outfits when attending funerals lately . I sometimes wonder if it 's just disrespectful or they just don't know any better.
Reply:Wow, I never knew that. I'm still trying to figure out why people expect you to go to the wake and the funeral. I'd rather pick one or the other.
Reply:No I never seen it done in my life time. Actually I had to go to a funeral today.