Why do they put coins over the eyes of the dead? Why do they put coins on the eyes of the dead Why do they put coins on the eyes of the dead
Why do they put coins over the eyes of the dead: a question that makes many think. After all, this tradition has existed for more than one century, and even more than one millennium. Moreover, it has great meaning, and is used not only in Christianity, but also in many other religions that believe in the existence of the afterlife.
You can find out why people did such manipulations with the body of the deceased by looking deep into history. Only knowing the history of religion and being guided by ancient signs, one can understand why it is necessary to put coins on the eyes of the deceased.
Why in ancient times they put coins on the eyes of the dead from the point of view of myths
For the first time in history, the tradition of placing coins over the eyes of the deceased appeared in Ancient Greece. So, this tradition is perfectly described in ancient Greek myths and explains why the Greeks put coins on the eyes of the dead.
Based on the myths, the coins were placed over the eyes of the deceased so that he could pay the ferryman Charon, who melted him into the kingdom of the dead across the river Styx. As a rule, the coins had to be copper. Yet, the reason why copper coins were used is not explained in the myths.
Similar traditions existed among other peoples. True, they explained it in a completely different way, since in their faith the soul should not cross the river of death. The deceased needed the money for other needs in the next world. Moreover, among the Slavic peoples, it was customary not only to put coins on the eyes of the deceased, but also to throw them into the grave.
Scientific explanation of the tradition of placing coins on the eyes of the deceased
Despite the fact that the tradition of putting coins on the eyes of the deceased has existed since ancient times and was explained by many myths and signs, there is still a scientific explanation for this manipulation. So, scientists and doctors say that when a person dies, his orbicular muscle of the eye contracts. Accordingly, in most cases, the eyes of the deceased remain open.
You can close the eyes of the deceased only as long as the body of the deceased is still warm. Otherwise, in order for the eyes of the deceased to close, something needs to be put on them. And the ideal option, in this case, is a coin that resembles the shape of an eye.
It is also possible to explain scientifically why it was customary to put copper coins on the eyes of the deceased. This was done because at that time copper coin was the heaviest and, accordingly, she did not allow her eyes to open.
They buried the deceased along with coins so that the eyes could not open in the coffin. After all, based on signs, this can lead to misfortunes. Moreover, taking something from the deceased is considered bad luck. Yes, and doctors do not advise doing this, since cadaveric fluid remains on them, which can lead to serious diseases.
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Money is found even during excavations of ancient burials. That is, the history of this tradition is quite significant. Modern people, of course, do not put a suitcase with banknotes in the coffin of the deceased, but a handful of coins or several banknotes can be found in almost every burial. Sometimes they are placed in a purse or purse that the deceased used during his lifetime.
Why is this done and should this tradition be followed? Let's try to answer these questions in our article, considering several different options.
There are a great many opinions on this matter. Here is some of them:
- The deceased needs money so that he can pay the carrier of souls in the afterlife, which will save him from wandering between worlds.
- The beginning of this custom should be sought in the times of the ancient Egyptians with their pharaohs. Everyone knows that for them the existence of the afterlife was an indisputable truth, and therefore preparations for it were made with all seriousness. If money plays a significant role in our world, as they reasoned, then in the next world it will not be possible to do without it. First you will need to pay for the crossing over the river of the dead, leaving the world of the living. If the deceased does not have money, then he may be required to provide some kind of service. And today, people who have been in the next world, who have gone through clinical death, argue that all the habits of our world have a place in the other world. And that is why it should be done.
- Most people put money in the coffin because that's what their grandparents did. At the same time, they do not think about the question "For what purpose is this being done." It’s easier to observe the traditions of your ancestors than not to do this and then doubt the correctness of your act.
- Relatively recently, people believed that sending the dead to the afterlife without a set of specific things was an unforgivable mistake. Therefore, household utensils, jewelry and, of course, money were placed in the coffin so that the deceased had the opportunity in the next world to acquire everything necessary. A lot of time has passed, but the tradition has remained. And many don't even care what it's for. If so it is accepted - then so be it. Since people do this, we cannot be worse than them.
- A person, having finished his life path on earth, finds himself between heaven and hell. And he is in this intermediate state during the first forty days from the moment of death. He is forced to visit all the places marked by the sin he has committed. And in order to have the opportunity to pay off, forty coins are placed in the coffin of the deceased - one for each day. Although, of course, something pagan emanates from this interpretation: is it possible to buy off God with some coins?
Why are small coins thrown into the grave
This archaic element of rituals is still observed in some places today. There are several interpretations of this action among the people. According to one of them, a place on the graveyard for the deceased was redeemed in this way. Thus, the connection of the deceased with the place that became his last refuge was reinforced. It was believed that if this was not done, then the deceased would visit relatives at night with complaints about harassment by the owner of the underworld, who was driving him out of the grave.
According to the second option, the deceased was supplied with money to acquire a place in the other world. In addition, he had to pay with this money for transportation across the river of fire. As a carrier, the Russian folk tradition called either the Archangel Michael, or Nicholas the Wonderworker. In one spiritual verse it is said that the Archangel Michael does not take the money offered by sinners and refuses to transport them through the “Zion River of Fire”.
Sometimes this money is considered as a payment to the "land owner". The Slavs made offerings to him before the construction of the house began. This is evidence of a connection between the pagan god Volos and the underworld, and Mother Earth. Ukrainians use the same name for the name of the land owner and the carrier across the fiery river - didko.
The ancients threw money into the grave so that he could pay for the place to the neighbors in the cemetery. After all, "without money, the old dead do not give a place." According to Collins, it was customary for Russians to put coins in the mouth of the deceased during the funeral process. And in the story "Vremnye let" it is said that, on the orders of Jan Vyshatich, each sorcerer who was executed on his orders was put a ruble in his mouth.
It is well known that under the word parent, the ancient Russians meant not only the deceased member of the family, or brownie, but also the guard invisibly present at the cemetery. And since home has always been directly related to livestock, money was thrown into the grave in order to prevent the owner of the cattle from leaving.
With the help of the newly deceased, money could be transferred to relatives in the other world. Many people talked about the fact that they dream of deceased relatives who are asked to transfer some money or some clothes with the new one. At the same time, a specific person and the date of his death were called. Naturally, such a transmission can only be made with permission from the relatives of the deceased, chosen as the transmitter.
Some people believe that following this tradition can bring the person who deposited money into big financial problems in the long run. And in the end, the attitude of the church to this issue. The clergy call the custom, following which relatives put money, utensils, gadgets, cell phones and all that into the coffin, pagan and have nothing to do with Orthodoxy.
Funerals are a sad but inevitable reality. Death has always been incomprehensible, frightened by its inevitability, the inability to predict what is there, beyond its threshold? Perhaps that is why the funeral rite, perhaps more than all the others, is surrounded by a halo of signs, rules, superstitions. People tried to distance themselves from the deceased, to save the lives of other family members. This childishly unsophisticated faith, the desire to eliminate the frightening unknown has remained to this day. Signs, superstitions have become almost mandatory rules for the ritual.
The first requirement is to close the mirrors where there is a dead person. It is believed that the soul can go to the mirror, stay to live there. She will frighten her relatives, she will not be able to leave this world.
According to another version, if the deceased is reflected in the mirror, then he will “double”, take one of his friends or relatives.
Funeral signs suggest that it is imperative to close the eyes of the deceased. Previously, this was done with the help of copper nickels, today they use large coins. The open eyes of the deceased, our ancestors believed, looked out among those present for the one who would die next.
Seeing off the deceased, you should definitely put a few coins, a handkerchief, a comb with him. This set, as was previously thought, will help to overcome the long path to paradise, pay for the road, appear before the Almighty in a decent form.
But photographs of the living cannot be put in a coffin. Otherwise, they too will be buried.
The deceased person was necessarily washed to cleanse the body. The soul is cleansed by itself, for this you need to put a glass of water on the windowsill. It will be a bath for the soul.
Signs at a funeral forbid pregnant women or close relatives from washing the body of the deceased. Carry out the coffin, too, must not blood relatives. Otherwise, the deceased will decide that his death is welcome. It's better if it's just friends or acquaintances. Their hand, as a sign of gratitude from the deceased, is tied with a new towel, sometimes with a handkerchief.
Where they say goodbye to the deceased, it is not recommended to wash or sweep the floor. It was believed that the living would die in this way, "swept out" for the dead. This must be done immediately after the domino is carried out of the house. Turn the table where the domina stood, and throw away the bed, the dead man.
Signs at a funeral advise how to deal with things, property of the deceased. It is not recommended to touch them for up to forty days, and after the soul passes, all things must be quickly distributed to those in need, taken to the cathedral, church.
Almost all signs at a funeral are aimed at protecting others from damage that evil people can inflict using funeral props.
Before laying the deceased in the coffin, his hands and feet are tied. Quite understandable from a modern point of view, the rite was considered a way that did not allow the dead to get up, walk the earth, frighten the living. Before closing the lid of the coffin, and then lowering it into the grave, the legs and hands are untied.
These ropes can be used to death, so witches or black healers always try to steal the ropes. In order to prevent this from happening, they put a special observer. Usually this is an elderly woman who is well acquainted with the rites.
Signs and superstitions at the funeral prescribe how to behave during the ceremony. You can not step on the towels where the coffin is installed, bring any objects, flowers from the cemetery. When returning home, be sure to rinse your hands.
You can’t cross the road in front of the dead: you will die very soon.
It is necessary to commemorate the deceased on the day of the funeral, on the ninth and fortieth days, on the anniversary.
Signs at the funeral evolved over the centuries. They contained a sound grain of intuitive experience. People, not knowing or not being able to find an explanation for the laws of nature, instinctively felt how to behave in difficult situations, developed a line of behavior, enshrined in signs and rituals.
Until now, sometimes during funerals, even in our country, coppers are placed on the eyes. Not quite, however, understanding why. However, it is very important to know where the tradition originates from.
The ancients had very specific and well-defined ideas about life on earth and the afterlife. All Greeks understood well what would happen to them when their life was over.
For the life of each person, the moira witches, who looked like three spinning sisters, were responsible. Clotho, the eldest, spun the thread of fate, Lachesis, the middle one, measured the prescribed life span, winding the thread around the spindle, and, finally, the younger Atropos cut the thread with divine scissors in the marked place.
burning
After the thread was broken, the life of the Greek ended, and he went to the kingdom of Hades, which was unpleasant for the Greeks. There, the shadow of a man appeared on the banks of the river Styx, separating the world of the dead from the world of the living.
Charon gets paid
Styx ("Hatred", "Hateful") was the most sacred place. The gods who swore by the Styx could not break the oath. Charon crossed the Styx. He demanded payment for transportation.
coin in mouth
It is important to say here that the ancients believed that during his life a person should have time to become dear to a sufficient number of people so that they perform funeral rites on him - at least put the same coins on his eyes, or better, burn them with rich gifts. Such beliefs lived until the end of the Roman state.
Magnificent funeral of Patroclus
The deceased appeared to the banks of the river of the dead with everything with which he was buried. All this was not so important for the Greeks as for the Egyptians, who believed that the bodies of the dead should be carefully preserved, because in the same form they will exist after death, in which their body is: no, the Greeks transported all the gifts underground gods, so that they do not prevent the shadow from taking its place in the afterlife.
Carrier Charon
At the same time, the killing of sacrificial animals in honor of the dead influenced the shadows: they could sip the blood of these same animals.
With copper eyes
The Greek, buried with coins, could pay the fee to Charon, and he was transported across the river. It happened that Charon also transported the living, but these were always outstanding people - Hercules, with whom it was better not to mess with, Orpheus, who enchanted the carrier by playing the harp, and Aeneas, who bribed him.
Charon definitely accepted it
The dead were judged by three brothers - great judges: Mions, Aeacus and Rhadamanthus. Their sentences were monotonous, for the Greeks were indifferent to ordinary, unremarkable and unremarkable people. They simply went to suffer in the gloomy and boring kingdom of Hades. Most people got there. Judges sent outstanding sinners to suffer forever, for example, to carry stones, like Sisyphus.
Sisyphus labors
But the gods themselves almost always knew such decisions, for a crime had to be truly terrible in order to create a separate torment for the villain. Finally, the great heroes went to Elysium, to the Isles of the Blessed.
Elysium
There they knew no troubles and feasted forever. Olympus itself was waiting for the most great heroes, but there were only a few of them: Dionysus, Hercules, the Dioscuri brothers and someone else.
Signs after the funeral and during them have been observed for more than one hundred years. It is believed that a neglectful attitude towards them can threaten with unpleasant consequences, up to inflicting damage on oneself.
In the article:
Signs after the funeral, before and during the burial
There are many signs that prescribe to the relatives of the deceased and everyone else who came to see him off on his last journey, how to behave at a funeral, and what not to do. Some of them were lost in the past and have not survived to this day, but many of the signs associated with the funeral are observed to this day.
Failure to comply with most superstitions and signs threatens with serious consequences - from illness to death. The energy of death is very heavy, and it does not forgive mistakes. Therefore, try to remember and observe signs during the funeral.
In the past, everyone knew and observed. Modern people think little about how to properly organize the burial and what to do in general. It is difficult to find a representative of today's youth who would have such knowledge, so older people usually follow what happens during the burial. But this does not mean that you do not need to learn from this experience.
Funeral superstitions - in the home
Even during the existence of numerous ritual offices, a large part of the organizational issues lies with the relatives of the deceased person. There are many points to be taken into account.
The deceased must not be left alone, not only in the house, but even in the room. Someone must always be near the coffin. There are many reasons for this. Items associated with the deceased have great magical power. Sometimes they are sought to be stolen by those who need these things for rituals. Care must be taken not to let this fall into the wrong hands. The church believes that the soul of the deceased needs prayer support, so you need to read the psalms and. Besides, leaving unattended is disrespectful.
There is another reason for this. The eyes of the deceased may open, and the one on whom his gaze falls will soon die. In order to prevent this, there should be someone near the coffin who will close the eyes of the dead if they open.
You may be interested in the article: signs if.
Immediately after death, all mirror surfaces should be hung with an opaque cloth. This is necessary so that the soul of the deceased does not fall into the mirror world instead of the afterlife. For forty days they do not open mirrors, because all this time the spirit is in its native places.
The piece of furniture on which the coffin stood should be turned upside down when it is taken to the cemetery. You can put it back only after a day has passed. If you ignore such a sign, the deceased may return in the form of a spirit. In order to prevent the accumulation of negative energy of death, an ax should be placed in place of the coffin.
Photographs to the deceased are not placed in any case, otherwise those depicted on it will die. So you can damage and kill the enemy from the world. However, this does not apply to photographs of the deceased (for example, the parents of the deceased).
The water used to wash the deceased is poured out in deserted places. So you will not allow it to be used in magic, because such water is not used for good deeds. Everything that was connected with the dead - a comb, soap used for washing, tourniquets, for tying hands and similar things - is placed in the coffin. They use such things only to induce damage.
When the legs of the deceased are warm until the very burial, this is a harbinger of the imminent death of someone living in the house. To avoid this, the dead man should be appeased by putting bread and salt in the coffin.
As long as there is a deceased in the housing, you can’t sweep it away, so you can “sweep out” everyone who lives here in the cemetery. But when they take him away to bury, there should be a person who will sweep and wash the floor in order to drive death out of the house. Tools for such cleaning are immediately taken out of the room and thrown away somewhere, they cannot be stored and used.
Be sure to leave a new handkerchief in the coffin so that the deceased has something to wipe sweat during the trial. Glasses, prostheses and similar things also put inside the coffin - personal items must go to another world with the owner.
If a funeral is taking place near you, and one of your family members is sleeping, be sure to wake it up, because the soul of the deceased can get into a sleeping person. Not all the dead calmly accept that they no longer live, and try to stay in the world of the living. You should especially worry about children and keep them awake during the funeral. And if your child is eating at this time, put water under the cradle.
Dogs and cats are not allowed in the room where the coffin is located. They can disturb his spirit. Jumped into the coffin. Howls and meows frighten the dead.
Near the threshold of the house with the deceased, spruce branches are placed so that relatives and friends who came to honor the memory do not take death to their home.
You can not sleep in a room with the deceased. If this happens, in the morning you need to eat noodles for breakfast.
Only widows wash the dead. Wash and dress in clean clothes before the body cools down. But after such a lesson, you can do a ceremony so that your hands never freeze. To do this, a small fire is lit from the chips and other wooden remains from which the coffin was made, and all participants in the washing warm their hands over it.
Why you can't look through the window at a funeral
If a funeral is taking place near you, you can’t look out the window, otherwise you will follow. There is such a sign, but few people know for sure why it is impossible to look through the window at the funeral. It is believed that for some time the soul of the deceased is next to the body, which, as you know, is in the coffin during the funeral. She feels discomfort from staring at her through the window pane, and even if a good and gentle person is buried in every sense, his spirit can avenge such impoliteness.
It is known how the spirit of the deceased can take revenge - drag it with it to the world of the dead. Old people say that if you look out the window at a funeral or a dead person in general, you can get seriously ill. This disease can be fatal. This belief is especially true for children, whose energy protection is weaker than that of adults. The vengeful spirit will be able to cope with the child much faster.
If a glance at the deceased was accidental, which is not at all uncommon, in the old days they immediately looked away and made the sign of the cross three times, and also mentally wished the Kingdom of Heaven to the deceased and prayed for his soul. If you have a desire to look at the funeral procession, you need to go out the door of the apartment or the gate and look from the street. Many have such a desire, and there is nothing wrong in sympathy even with a stranger.
Bad omens at funerals - on the street and in the cemetery
Under no circumstances should you cross the path of the funeral procession. As a rule, those who do not comply with this rule are in for a serious illness. It's hard to let that happen.
Some believe that if you cross the road of the funeral procession, you can die for the same reasons for which the one who was buried died.
If the grave is dug too large, it may threaten the death of another family member. A similar meaning is attached to the coffin lid forgotten in the house. This should not be allowed.
You can not carry the coffin to relatives. This should be done by friends, colleagues, neighbors or people from the ritual agency - anyone but relatives. Otherwise, the deceased can take them with him. The people who carry the coffin must tie a new towel around their hand.
Have you ever wondered why everyone who came to the funeral throws a handful of earth on the coffin? So that the ghost could not come at night.
Close the lid of the coffin is possible only in the cemetery. If this is done at home, death will come to the family of the deceased and to those who board up the coffin.
When the coffin is carried out, you can’t look into the windows - it doesn’t matter if it’s your own or someone else’s, otherwise you will attract death to this house. In order for none of the relatives of the deceased to die soon, they do not turn back.
You can not go in front of the coffin - this is to death.
If, when digging a grave, they stumble upon what is left of the old one - bones, for example, this portends the deceased good life in the next world and means that his spirit will not disturb the living.
Before the coffin is lowered into the ground, coins are thrown there to buy a place in the next world.
Signs and superstitions at the funeral - after burial
During the commemoration, as a rule, they put a photo of the deceased, and next to it - a glass of vodka (sometimes with water) and a piece of bread. Anyone who drinks this vodka or eats the dead man's bread will fall ill and die. Even animals are not allowed.
After you return from the funeral, be sure to warm your hands with live fire or wash them in hot water. So you protect yourself from an early death. Many instead touch the stove or light candles to burn whatever they can get at the funeral.
You can’t cry too much for the dead, otherwise he will drown in your tears in the next world.
Every person has favorite places. Leave water there, because the soul is among the living for some time, and from time to time it needs water. Let it stand for forty days, top up from time to time. The relatives of the deceased cannot drink the same amount, and the lamp should also burn.
You should leave the cemetery without looking back. On the way out, wipe your feet.
The image that stood in front of the deceased must be floated on the water. They go to the river and put it on the water to float. You can’t store it, throw it away too, water - the only way get rid of the icon so that it does not bring trouble. In all other cases, take the icons to the church, they will decide what to do with them.
