Day #96: Rituals (100 day gratitude challenge)

Day #96:     Rituals
(100 day gratitude challenge)
The rituals associated with the passing away of a family member are elaborate in most customs. The Indian Hindu customs are very elaborate and spread over a longer period than for us Indian Catholics for whom it is just 3 days of mourning and then life gets back to normal. There are a funeral service and a third-day memorial mass. The family stays together during this time.
There are lots of discussions on what happened, how it happened, old memories, recent memories and a lot more so it takes the mind off the subject for the grieving members of the family. They get time to grieve heal and adjust to the new reality of a life without this person who was an integral part for so long.
My sister and her sons were dealing with all of this that the shock of learning of the passing of the man of the house was cushioned and they could slowly wrap their head around the fact that he was no more amongst them.
Rituals and customs play a big part in this healing process and also to help the soul of the departed find its way home. But in today’s world where we have quick food, quick marriages, quick break-ups and quick deaths the customs and rituals are truncated and mostly forgotten. Their meaning is completely lost and what gets done is what is convenient at the moment. Old people are not allowed to dictate what is to be done

I’m grateful that there are some rituals that are designed to break the shock of death and aid the passage of the soul. I hope we take time to understand them and adopt those that are good for everyone concerned.


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