According to the latest research, the Neanderthal has already buried his dead. He did so due to the fact that he believed in posthumous life, as evidenced by the found burials. Neanderthal arranged the deceased in an embryonic position, the body of the deceased painted red, and around the body scattered flowers. The interesting thing is that since the dawn of history, burial places have been at any distance from the huts.
Homo erectus and homo sapiens besides placed large weight on burials and postmortem life. For centuries burial canons have changed, but the deceased was always honored.
The Slavs were not different. They had their beliefs about the afterlife, which can inactive be found throughout our country, especially in the areas of Podlasie or Lublin. The dead ancestors were worshiped six times a year, but the most crucial celebrations took place in spring and autumn.
A peculiar celebration erstwhile the dead were worshiped was the Autumn Grave. It was the time of October 31, or night of October 31 by 1. Why this date ask, this is the first moon after the autumn solstice, erstwhile day equals night and night wins. As this day was believed, the border between the worlds fades and the dead may be among us.
The grandfathers always had their arranged order, which consisted of 3 rites. No order could be overlooked or altered. Everything had to take place at the appointed time.
The first rite during the holiday, held during the day erstwhile the sun was shining in the sky, was to make a feast at home or in a cemetery for the dead. During the play, food was dropped or drinks poured out to feed the souls of the ancestors. Traces of this customized can inactive be seen among military men who have the last sip of alcohol poured on the ground, saying sometimes "it is for those who cannot drink anymore." This part of the full vacation had to take place during the day, due to the fact that the planet of the surviving is the strongest, according to belief.
Another rite, performed at sunset, was the burning of fires at the crossroads and the burning of houses in the fireplaces, so that the wandering souls could find the warmth to warm them. This customized remained inflamed. Twilight was so important, due to the fact that then the veil separating the planet of the surviving from the planet of the dead shuddered and the souls of the dead come out.
And here's a curious thing, in Western Europe they don't know anything. Before the WYD in Madrid, just mid-October a group of Spaniards came to Płock and a boy wanted to delight a girl– Polce bought her a niche, saying it was so good giving it to her. You can imagine how this communicative ended. Again, I got carried distant by a digression,
Back to the meritum.
The fire, especially the 1 lit at break-ups, besides had a protective function. For he was not to give access to the cities to demons, or souls of people who died by committing suicide. At this unique time, beggars who were considered to be the liaisons between the surviving and the dead played a large role. So they were asked to pray for the dead or to give something to the dead in exchange for offering them food.
The last rite of that day, or at night, was to pray together for the dead of all the household. Then the woman of the home had to sweep the chamber, cover the table with a white tablecloth, and leave bread, salt, and a knife on it, so that the dead who visited the home at night could feed themselves before further journey into the afterlife. The night is in pagan beliefs sometimes ruled by death.
Christianity, erstwhile entering the State of Housing, wanted to exterminate pagan traditions, but seeing that they were profoundly rooted in social consciousness, baptized them by establishing a day of suffocation on October 2. In any places Poland can inactive be seen in the cemeteries after All Saints on graves next to the left candy, and on the graves of the Roma there are inactive celebrations.
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