Why do they hang mirrors when they die. Why close the mirrors when a person dies in the house? Why close mirrors when a person dies

Below you will find the signs that people who have buried a loved one need to know - when you can open the mirror after the funeral, do the cleaning and repairs, watch TV. There are many restrictions and prohibitions that were invented by our ancestors, for the most part, back in pre-Christian times.

When to open the mirror

It is a known fact that after the death of a person, it is supposed to cover all reflective surfaces. These are not only mirrors, but also televisions, computer monitors and other things in which you can see your reflection. This is done so that the reflection of the deceased does not remain in the house, and his ghost is not alive.

There will be a lot about when you can open the mirror after the funeral. One at a time, this can be done immediately after returning from the cemetery and commemoration... According to other beliefs, this is done after three days, or not earlier than the ninth day after death... But these are all modern traditions. The curtains are still being removed from the mirrors in the villages. only on the 41st daywhen the fate of the soul of the deceased has already been decided.

Signs are based on the path of the deceased. So, after three days after death, the guardian angel takes him to inspect paradise. For 9 days he will appear before the Lord and go to inspect hell. On the 40th day, the soul is given a final verdict about where it will stay. Since the soul is among the living only for the first three days after death, the mirrors can be opened after she leaves him. That is, on the fourth day. It used to be believed that all 40 days the shower can visit relatives from time to time. Therefore, they did not open the mirrors all this time.

Sometimes mirrors are not curtained at all. For example, when a person dies in a hospital, and his body is taken to the cemetery from the morgue, and not from home. It is not right. The soul of a person will still return home and stay with loved ones during their lifetime. Sometimes only those mirrors are covered that are located where the deceased is. It is also wrong, because the soul will roam all the rooms of the house.

Some Slavic omens claim that the one who first looks into the mirror opened after the funeral will soon die. To prevent this, the cat is brought to the mirror first. She is not afraid of this sign.

Can I watch TV

For obvious reasons, there are no old signs about this, but as mentioned above, televisions are supposed to be closed, like mirrors. They can be opened simultaneously with the mirrors. That is, either after the funeral, or after the third, ninth or fortieth day.

The Church does not prohibit watching TV, but recommends refraining from entertainment at least nine days... You can watch news, educational programs, but it is better to postpone watching movies and talk shows. You cannot turn on the TV in the house where the deceased lies. Wait for the funeral to end. If the deceased was not someone close to you, the restriction does not apply to you.

These rules also apply to listening to music. An exception is church chants. If you wish, you can listen to classical music. By the way, the funeral orchestra is a Soviet innovation. In the old days, prayers and religious chants were accompanied.

Should you keep photos of the deceased?

The answer is yes. Photos are memories of a dear person, a memory for his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. By destroying the photographs of the deceased, you let his descendants never know about him.

But still the image of the deceased is associated with world of the dead... Psychics from the photo can determine whether a person is alive or not. Therefore, it is not worth looking at photographs of the deceased too often. You can also not overdo it with their number on the walls, shelves and tables. Do not hang near portraits of living people, separate living and dead energies. The best place to store is a photo album.

The photographs taken during the funeral carry much more negativity. It's best not to do them. But, if the photos are already there, it is better to destroy them. It doesn't matter what is depicted there - a coffin, a cemetery, a funeral service, they are a strong source of necrotic energy.

When to clean the apartment

While the deceased is in the house, you cannot clean and take out the trash. Otherwise, one more person in this house may die. According to legend, the cleaner will sweep or wash it out of the dwelling.

You need to clean it immediately after taking out the coffin. After the deceased, they sweep and mop the floors at a time when those who see off on their last journey have already left for the cemetery. They do this in order to immediately sweep death, illness, grief out of the house.

Moreover, such light cleaning cannot be done by the blood relatives of the deceased. It is better for them to have less contact with the emanations of death, so that the deceased does not take his loved ones with him. Pregnant women do not clean up after the deceased either. Usually they ask a family friend to sweep and mop the floor. Only he should remain in the apartment after the removal of the coffin. After that, the person joins the mourners at the commemoration; he is not present at the cemetery.

Some things are especially strongly saturated with the energy of death. So, stools or a table on which the coffin stood are taken out into the street for several days and left there with their legs up. This is done in order to get rid of this energy. The apartment has a balcony.

Be sure to take away from home everything related to the mournful rite. These are the remains of fabric for the coffin upholstery, chips from it, as well as other ritual paraphernalia, except for a portrait with a black ribbon, a glass of water and a piece of bread. All flowers brought by the mourners are supposed to be left on the grave - they are intended for the deceased.

The instrument used to take measurements for the coffin is also not left in the house; it brings death to another tenant within a year. Nothing is taken from the coffin. The ropes that tied the hands of the deceased, the pennies that lay in front of our eyes - all this should remain in the coffin. Candles are taken to the cemetery, as is the grain in which they stood. It is also impossible to keep the icon that stood in front of the coffin. They let her down the river or take her to church.

When can you clean up after the funeral, if the question is about general cleaning or tidying up the room of the deceased? At any time, but after the commemoration or the removal of the coffin. If you open the mirrors at the same time, they should also be washed. If you decide to keep them closed for 3, 9, or 40 days, leave that for later.

Is it possible to make repairs

Repair after the funeral can be done, but only as it goes 40 days after death... The soul of the deceased comes from time to time to see how loved ones live. She would like to see a familiar environment, changes can anger the spirit.

After 40 days, at least, you will have to replace the bed on which the deceased slept, as well as the bed (sofa, floor covering or stairs, armchair, etc.), which has become a deathbed. A dead man's bed cannot be used by his bloodline. It can be given away or sold. It is not necessary to put a new bed, use the vacated space as you see fit.

The place of death will exude necrotic energy for several more years. Therefore, it is supposed to replace everything that came into contact with the dying person, be it the floor covering where he fell, or furniture and bedding. As a rule, such things are thrown away or burned. In the villages, they act a little differently - they take them to the chicken coop for three, so that the rooster “burns off all the negative”.

Personal belongings of the deceasedare usually given to the poor or sold. This applies not only to clothing. Favorite cup or plate, ashtray, antistress toy - you shouldn't keep it all. Although many are left in memory of the deceased.

What else cannot be done after the funeral

Do not do laundry in the house where the person died. This prohibition is in effect while the coffin is in the house. That is, after the funeral, you can start putting your clothes in order.

Is it possible to swim after the funeral? Legends recommend that you do this at the same time when you decide to remove fabric from reflective surfaces. That is, immediately after the commemoration, after three, nine or forty days. In the old days, they washed only on the 41st day after death.

Among the things that cannot be done after the funeral are noisy holidays. It is undesirable to arrange celebrations within 40 days. Birthday celebration better to postpone or cancel altogether. But you can celebrate it modestly, with your family, without loud music and noise.

The nine-day, or better the forty-day ban also applies to the wedding, but here it all depends on the emotional state of the relatives of the deceased. In addition, a wedding is a pre-arranged event that is associated with high costs. If you are playing a wedding before forty days have elapsed since the death of a relative, during the celebration you need to mention this and pay tribute to the memory of the deceased. The wedding is allowed at any time.

Many people believe that among the things that cannot be done after the funeral of a loved one are travel and travel. This is not true. They will help distract you, but while traveling, you should give up various entertainment activities. Remember to remember the deceased and pray for his soul while on vacation.

In addition, the relatives of the deceased cannot sew and cut their hair for forty days. If there is a need to repair clothes, you will have to do it. But tailoring that is not urgent should be delayed. The same goes for haircuts. Are bangs interfering with daily activities? Get rid of her. But if it's about changing your image, do it in forty days.

The same amount of time for the family of the deceased you can't drink alcohol... Perhaps the ban is due to the fact that grief is an accomplice of alcoholism. But memorial signs also prohibit drinking at the commemoration. The reason is that alcoholism is a sin. For forty days, relatives can pray for a sinful person. If they sin at this time, it will only complicate his afterlife.

After the funeral, they go only to the commemoration, and from there - home. You cannot go to visit, otherwise death will come to that house. You can go on a visit or on business only the next day after the funeral and commemoration. The commemoration is also the ninth and fortieth day, and after them this prohibition also applies. You also cannot go to celebrations that take place in public places - birthdays, weddings.

They do not go from commemoration to commemoration. If two dead people are commemorated on the same day, choose the one who is closer to you. But you can say goodbye to several dead, support relatives, express sorrow. During the funeral, they do not visit the graves of relatives and friends. This time you came to only one deceased person, and visiting others will be regarded as disrespectful.

Church opinion

There are many beliefs that are supposed to be observed after a funeral. This will help protect against necrotic energy, diseases and other troubles. In addition, some signs are aimed at improving the afterlife of the deceased and cleansing him from sins.

Almost everyone knows that you need to curtain mirrors if there is a deceased in the house. Moreover, the tradition is followed even by those who do not know the designation.

At least three explanations are now known for why it is necessary to curtain all objects that reflect mirrors at home.

1. The first belief speaks of a soul that has left the body, which can dwell in a situation for some time. If the deceased looks at the soul in the mirror, he will be frightened.
2. The second belief concerns the world of the living and the world of the dead. The mirror has always been a mysterious object considered to be a portal between worlds. The soul of a person who has just died has not found peace, so the gates can captivate it forever. Mirrors have memory. This means that the reflection of the deceased will allow the spirit to visit its loved ones regularly.
3. Mirror surfaces can also be associated with those living in the house. Some believe that if you see a deceased person or his soul in the mirror, he will take this person with him within a month.

But in church records there is no mention of the need to deal with the closing of mirrors, therefore the tradition is referred to as folk. Therefore, everyone chooses to believe or not.

When they first began to curtain the mirrors in the house of the deceased

Traditionally, they began to hide mirror surfaces from a deceased soul not so long ago. There were two prerequisites for such actions.

The first of them consisted in the secret knowledge of mirrors, for a long time it was an outlandish luxury that had magical powers, some did not look at all more than once a week in mirrors.

In the century before last, the upper strata of society began to get acquainted with the occult, and using mirrors to guess and carry out magical divination. A special piquancy, together with popularity, was indulged due to the prohibitions of spiritual mentors. Even fortune telling on the surface of the water can be considered the use of a kind of mirror.

And also the Jewish rites contributed to the emergence of a similar rule in modern homes. In Judaism, the loved ones of the deceased must be in mourning. During this period, personal care, the use of cosmetics, and colorful clothing are prohibited.

In Israel, one component of mourning is covering the mirror. Traditionally, this helps to fight the temptation to admire oneself. Instead, one should mourn the deceased person.

Closing of mirrors in a home should be done a few hours after a person dies. But the opening of the surface should be carried out according to clear rules.

The sheet is removed from all mirrors only 41 days after death. It is important to keep in mind that bedspreads should not be dark in color, it is best to take a white cape. Longer than the specified period, it will not make sense to keep the mirrors closed, since the spirit of the deceased is reflected only when the soul is in the house.

People are increasingly neglecting tradition, since in most cases the body does not enter the house, immediately leaving the morgue to the cemetery. But this cannot mean that the soul will not return to its home.

In addition to mirrors, you need to make sure that all the water in the deceased's house is poured out. But you cannot engage in absurdity, forbidding yourself to drink water in the house, not looking at the reflection for weeks. You can admire yourself after leaving the room where the deceased spent most of his life.

You just need to curtain objects, without acquiring certain fabrics, without reading a prayer. This is not a church ritual, but a tradition that has many legends and opinions.

The bedspread is washable and the furniture itself can be wiped clean. It is decided to close the mirror or not close it on an individual basis. But you should not worry that not all mirrors and surfaces are not curtained.

This story happened in the 1980s, when a Muscovite Valentina Vesnina was still a child. After all that has happened, Vesnina is sure that she knows how the souls of the departed leave our world.

"They go to the mirrors! And they end up in the other world through the mirror tunnel leading there," the woman assures.

“You, of course, have heard about the old folk custom of covering all the mirrors in the house where the deceased appeared with sheets and rags,” Vesnina continues. “Do you know where it came from, this custom?”

“My parents are communists. That means they are atheists. They lived and still live in the same state farm near Moscow. Any popular beliefs and superstitions are treated with great irony.

When my grandmother died, they did not cover the mirror of the trellis that stood in the hut with a sheet. I clearly remember that the old lady next door angrily scolded them for this. But they ignored her reproaches. The coffin with the body of the deceased stood on the table directly opposite the trellis with a tall narrow mirror.

When my grandmother died, I was 8 years old. However, I remember very well all that terrible horror that happened in our house on the day of her funeral. Our fellow villagers came to say goodbye to the deceased. The house was full of people. And suddenly one of the women who came screamed in a terrible voice, pointing with her hand at the trellis mirror.

I looked where she was pointing. And I was stunned! I see the mirror as if covered with a light milky haze. And in the haze my deceased grandmother recedes into the mirror, into its, so to speak, “depth”.

I saw her from the back. The grandmother was wearing the very dress in which she was lying at that moment in the coffin, which stood on the table opposite the trellis ...

You can't even imagine what started in our house! Everyone who was in it saw the ghost of the deceased, retreating into the mirror, as if into some kind of tunnel leading. Where to? I'm sure to the next world ... Here's an explanation of the folk custom of hanging mirrors in the house where someone died and had not yet had time to be buried. "

In folk traditions

The tradition of hanging mirrors is followed by almost all people, even those who do not fully understand why this is done. As for popular explanations, today there are several opinions as to why it is necessary to close the mirrors when a person dies.

According to the first opinion, the soul, after leaving the body, is in the room for a certain time. And if she sees herself in the mirror, she might get scared.

There is also a belief that a mirror in some way plays the role of a door between two worlds. If the soul of the deceased gets into the mirror, then it will be stuck there forever, having no chance of liberation.

It is also believed that mirrors have a memory, so if the deceased is reflected there, then his spirit will regularly visit the house as a ghost.

Mirrors in the house of the deceased are also associated with the fate of living people. So, if a person sees in the mirror the reflection of the deceased or his soul, then this will be a clear sign that he will soon die too.

Of course, there are quite a few people who do not believe in such superstitions. But, despite their opinion, they still prefer to adhere to traditions in order to protect themselves from all dangers. After all, who knows what the death of a loved one brings with it.

It is curious that there is no church prescription regarding the closing of mirrors; this is a purely folk tradition that goes deep into the darkness of centuries. Moreover, this tradition is very stable and is carried out everywhere.

It is recommended to close mirrors in the house immediately after a person has died. But many are interested in the question of how many days you can open the mirrors. It is believed that the curtain can be removed immediately after the funeral is over. But this opinion is wrong. At the funeral, only the burial of the body of the deceased person takes place, but his soul continues to dwell in this world until the 40th day.

After this period, the mirrors are opened. It makes no sense to keep them closed longer.

A sad event such as a funeral is associated with various omens. Some people consider superstition to be a relic. But there are signs that are still observed today..

The tradition of covering mirrors when the deceased is in the house has appeared for a long time. Even the church cannot tell you exactly when to open the mirrors after the funeral, but the priest's answer interests the believers.

Why do they cover mirrors

The ancient Slavs were surethat the mirror opens a portal to the other world. The human body has not only a physical shell, but also a soul. Cover mirror surfaces for a number of reasons:

How the church relates to custom

The priests do not give an unambiguous answer to the question of hanging mirrors after death and how many days they should be closed. Their opinion is based on the fact that there are no standard instructions for a ceremony in Orthodoxy.

But some ministers of the temples advise to know on what day after death the mirrors are opened. They need to be covered not only during the stay of the deceased in the house, but also on the ninth and fortieth days. For forty days, the soul remains on the ground. She does not move away from the body.

When can you open

Those who believe in funeral beliefs need to know when the mirrors are removed from the mirrors after the funeral. It is accepted that disclosure can be made after nine days. But if a person is overcome with doubts why it is necessary to close them, it is better to withstand forty days.

For the first nine days, the soul is still in the room. Then she separates from the body and goes into another world. The energy of death disappears from the dwelling. Some reflective surfaces, such as a TV or computer, can be opened earlier. After all, a person who has lost a loved one already feels bad, he cannot spend all the time in silence.

But during the funeral, it is forbidden to leave reflective surfaces open. At this time, even non-superstitious people curtain them. A day or two after the burial ceremony, they open them.

Antique mirrors

In the old days, they were made by layer-by-layer application of mercury to glass. When a person dies, he emits brain alpha waves, and the mirror absorbs the images and creates a hologram. Images are played, ghosts appear.

Modern products already produced using a different technologyless suitable for storing information. But the tradition of closing mirrors or turning them away remained.

There were cases when the mirror after the death of a person became cloudy and intricate drawings appeared on it. He was immediately destroyed. Otherwise, the spirit of the deceased could not leave the labyrinths through the looking glass.

Phenomena associated with a sign

You can often hear mystical stories that the mirror was not hung in the house after the death of the tenant, and then strange things began to happen. At night, household members heard footsteps, lights blinked, things fell, dishes beat. This means that the soul of the deceased is not at peace.

A priest was invited to the house. If the unnatural phenomena did not pass after the consecration of the dwelling, the mirrors were thrown away.

Even if a loved one did not die at home, but was buried from the mourning hall of the morgue, the mirrors must be closed. For another 40 days, the human soul dwells among the living. Popular beliefs say that after death, the spirit of the deceased comes to the homes of relatives and friends to say goodbye forever.

Other beliefs

Besides the tradition of gluing mirrorsand or covering them with a veil while the deceased is in the house, there are other signs. You don't have to look in the mirrors in the cemetery. Since they reflect not only the obvious, but also another world, the looked person will be haunted by misfortune.

The people say that a mirror that broke during burials in the house where the deceased was located necessarily foreshadows troubles and misfortunes. Soon they will fall on the relatives of the deceased.

The tradition of covering mirrors with cloth has passed since the days of paganism and is not supported by Christianity. When to cover with a sheet and open them, each person decides for himself. Sometimes nothing bad happens, but in history there are cases when, due to uncovered mirrors during a funeral, a series of tragic events dragged on.

Funeral rules and procedures

It is necessary to lead a person on his last journey correctly. Mistakes made at a funeral can negatively affect the later life of the household. Generally accepted rules:

If you ask at the temple when you can remove the curtains from the mirrors, the priests will advise you to wait for forty. At this time, the soul of the deceased leaves the world.

Of course, in every family they decide for themselves how to bury the body of the deceased and when you can open mirrors after the death of a loved one. But people believe in signs concerning burials and try to observe them.

When faced with the inexplicable, especially of a sad and woeful nature, a person tends to follow accepted and well-established traditions. With the onset of the death of a loved one, it is customary to curtain all reflective surfaces in the house. It is the task of this article to answer the questions - why this foundation arose, what sense does it make, and when after the funeral it is possible to open mirrors, including Orthodoxy.

Mirror and its meaning

For a long time, the mirror was considered an object of a magical nature. Its production required a lot of labor - a mercury-containing substance was layer-by-layer applied to a flat glass surface. Therefore, mirrors were considered a sign of wealth and served as an interior decoration.
But, they were also considered a kind of port - a gateway between the real world and the other world. And this is the basic belief that gives an answer to why, when a person dies, mirrors are covered.
After death, the soul leaves the body, but for the first three days it is near it, in its house or apartment, next to loved ones. She observes what is happening, realizes what happened and sums up the results of her life, her deeds. Moving around the rooms, the soul can accidentally look into an open mirror and, not seeing its reflection in it, come into a state of suffering confusion. Households must work hard to prevent this - that's why they should hang mirrors after the death of a loved one.

Other reasons

There are other reasons, not so popular, but very compelling, especially for those who tend to believe in omens and superstitions and observe all ritual traditions. Several beliefs explain why covering mirrors when a person dies:
1. The looking glass world is a haven for the dark forces. Unclean spirits and entities that live in mirror labyrinths seek to lure and drag away the soul, doom it to eternal wandering and suffering. In order to prevent such tests for your deceased relative, you should immediately hang mirrored objects with a thick cloth. Christianity recommends using black cloth as a symbol of mourning and loss, liberation from idleness. Often used, in the absence of black fabric, ordinary bedspreads, tablecloths, curtains and even cotton sheets and pillowcases. This is also acceptable, as long as the fabric is not transparent.
2. A mirror surface, especially a mercury one (this was made in the old days), is capable of fixing energy flows. When a person dies, a powerful surge of energy occurs. Devices record at this moment special brain waves. Mercury film can, like a camera, capture and store this, not always positive information. Particularly impressionable relatives can subsequently see various images in reflections, and the veil prevents this.
At the end of mourning on the 41st day after death, it is recommended to wash all mirror surfaces in the house.
3. Distorting reality, presenting it upside down, the mirror changes the meaning of all Christian rituals, devaluing prayers and thanksgiving to God. That is why there are no reflective surfaces in all churches, including Orthodox churches. During the funeral, prayers are offered up for a deceased relative, but reflections can distort and absorb them, which is why mirrors are closed at funerals.
4. To see the reflection of the deceased, even if by chance it can lead to great grief - visually double the number of the dead can be realized. Anyone who inadvertently saw the reflection of the deceased can die himself and go to the previous deceased. But it is better not to believe in this sign, because self-hypnosis is a great thing, seriously affecting the course of life and changing fate.

Church opinion

According to Orthodoxy, there is no need to close the mirrors if a person dies in the house. But, despite the advice of priests, many Christians still observe this tradition rooted in the people. The Church explains the reason for this in its own way.
The evil one created the mirror in order to multiply the sin of pride in a person, to push him to self-admiration, preening. In the days of mourning, when the fate of the soul is not yet predetermined, it is worth dedicating all his spiritual strength to a Christian. And it is completely inappropriate during this period to admire oneself, dress up.
In addition, the appearance of a grieving person who is dear or close to the deceased is depressed and sad, and seeing oneself from the outside in this state will contribute to an even greater immersion in grief.

Hanging duration

There are several versions as to when you can open the mirrors after death.
The soul of the deceased, having left the body, is in his apartment for three days, saying goodbye to everything earthly and living relatives. On the third day, the soul goes to heaven, accompanied by an angel. There she stays before and after she goes to inspect hell. is in the underworld, examining and terrified, and only after that her fate is decided.
These events on the 3rd, 9th, and 40th days determine the timing of mourning and then.
Many believe that if the soul left the apartment on the 3rd day, then it is quite possible to open the mirrors. Others wait for the end of a longer period, believing that the soul from time to time will go home and visit relatives. Therefore, the mirrors are opened later - 10 or 41 days. Associated with this is the desire to pray harder for the soul of the deceased and devote more time to staying in a state of mental silence.

Orthodoxy does not provide a clear regulatory framework for how much mirrors should be covered. The answer of any Orthodox priest when opening the mirrors after a funeral does not have clear instructions. The clergy recommend not delving into this issue. It is not recommended to maintain superstitions in oneself, moreover, they are considered a sin and should be disposed of. The Church does not associate spiritual life with the material world and any objects, including reflective ones.
Priests ask Christians to focus more not on whether the mirrors are closed, but on praying for the soul of the deceased, on doing various good deeds, giving alms, arranging dinner for the hungry and needy. The Church believes that only these good deeds are meaningful for the deceased person. And unauthorized rituals and any ritual manipulation of objects can even harm, since they are similar to magical actions.

Each person, each family is individual, like each life situation. And on which day after the funeral the mirrors should be opened, it is most correct to decide privately, independently, based on spiritual need and desire. For some, three or nine days are enough, while others for forty days are in grief and spiritual silence, needing to observe mourning traditions, including the fact that all reflective objects are covered.