The Jewish mourning period This is to symbolize the disruption that death has brought to their lives and demonstrates grief through self-sacrifice. Mirrors are also covered to deter mourners from indulging in vanity.
The death of human beings disrupts the connection between the living man and living God. Since the purpose of mirrors is to reflect such image, they are covered during mourning. A second reason mirrors are covered in Judaism branches from contemplation of one's relationship with God during the death of a loved one.
During shiva, a mourner is expected to ignore their own physical beauty. Mirrors are covered to remind the mourners that shiva is a reflection of loneliness and not about social acceptance.
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.
Covering mirrors while in mourning has a curious ambivalence: both ritual and superstition, a way of honoring the dead and warding them off, a vow that hides within the fear of something going wrong.
Catholic and Christian traditions
The custom of covering mirrors is especially common among Irish Catholics. 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.
If half of the mirror is covered with black paper then the image shape will remain unaffected. Just intensity of image will reduce as now, number of reflecting rays will be less as no reflection takes place due to the covered portion.
Many cultures believe in immediate judgment at the point of death. Therefore, the assumption became that those who died with their eyes opened received bad judgment. People who died with their eyes closed were perceived to be at peace because they received a beneficial judgment.
Over time, coffins underground will decompose and eventually collapse. Covering the face before closing the casket adds an extra layer of protection and dignity for the deceased's face and can act as a symbolic final goodbye.
It is believed that an open window in the same room as a death bed is needed to allow the souls of family members who have already died to come to retrieve the soul of the person who is dying, to take them into the next life. Others believe that if the room is closed, the soul will be trapped and unable to move on.
Ancient Jews believed that placing the stone on a grave would keep the soul down in this world. Some people find comfort in this. Another interpretation leaning more toward superstition, suggests the opposite, that the stones can keep evil spirits, demons and golems from getting into the graves.
A 1986 report by the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards states that cremation is against Jewish tradition and should be advised so by the Rabbi. The report goes on to say that if your family ignores the Rabbi's advice, the Rabbi may still choose to officiate the service at a funeral parlor before the cremation.
Many traditional Shiva restrictions include no wearing of new clothes, no shaving for men, no washing clothes, no bathing.
Furthermore, mourners at this stage may not eat meat or drink wine. If the period between death and burial extends over the Shabbat, then these customs are not adopted (except for refraining from marital relations), though they begin again following the Shabbat. Shiva commences immediately after burial.
A shiva visit should be no more than an hour. If a service is held, come a few minutes before and stay a few after. Mourners uniformly report how exhausted they are by the shiva experience; do not overstay your welcome.
The shiva meaning is literally “seven” – a period of seven days when a Jewish family has a formal mourning time to honor their loved one. According to Jewish law, individuals should sit shiva after losing a parent, spouse, sibling, or child.
It is always easier to light up the upper half of the body and present the face under the best light. By covering the legs, funeral directors save time by spending lesser time lighting the lower portion of the body.
It has been used to prevent the odor of decay, to give family members closure and prevent them from witnessing the decomposition of their loved ones, and in many cultures it has been seen as a necessary step for the deceased to enter the afterlife or to give back to the cycle of life.
A rather large overstuffed pillow is included in the interior package of a finished casket. This pillow helps to hold the decedent in an inclined position. This position helps present a naturally comforting presentation to the survivors.
Setting the features is a mortuary term for the closing of the eyes and the mouth of a deceased person such that the cadaver is presentable as being in a state of rest and repose, and thus more suitable for viewing.
Do bodies move during cremation? If a body is burned at a low enough temperature and quickly after death, movements are possible. Because of the efficiency of modern cremation chambers, however, the body immediately begins its dissolution, and movement is unlikely.
Closed Casket Funerals: What You Need to Know. In a closed casket funeral, the casket remains closed during the viewing and the funeral service. Family members and guests are not able to see the body, and some prefer this option for a variety of reasons.
A frame that matches the colour scheme and style of the room can help create a cohesive and harmonious look. Avoid placing mirrors directly opposite each other: Mirrors that are placed directly opposite each other can create a sense of unease and discomfort, so it's best to avoid this arrangement.
In a completely dark room, there is no light present in the room. Thus, no reflection of light takes place by the mirror placed in the room. Hence, no image will get formed by a mirror in a completely dark room.