The Old Ways:
Honoring the Dead

Sybil Fogg

Samhain marks the transition into the dark half of the year. The warm days are growing fewer and there is a marked crisp bite to the air. The nights are growing longer and we begin to turn our minds toward the darkness. And in the darkness, the veil becomes thin between the living world and where the spirits reside. Our thoughts move toward those who have come before us, those we have recently lost, and our ancestors. This is a good time of year to learn more about our family members of the past.

My father’s family is of Lithuanian, Polish, Russian, or Belarusian descent. My great-grandfather came to America from a small village near Minsk in Belarus in 1913 or 1914. Whenever we wondered if we were Lithuanian or Polish (Belarus and Russian never seemed to be an option), we were told, “Take your pick.” I don’t really want to have to do that, so it seemed fitting to explore the Slavic region at Samhain and honor those ancestors from there. There is a wealth of culture and traditions from this area that are very pagan in their roots. The old ways are strong in this region of the world.

Samhain is the final of three harvest festivals. The weather at this time of year is often quite warm, lulling us before the storm of winter hits. This time of year was called Babie Lato in Polish, or “Old Woman’s Summer” (Hodorowicz Knab 219). This is when the fields were prepared for the long winter’s rest and the final root vegetables gathered. As the earth went to rest, the year quieted down and people’s thoughts turned inward, or even to the darker aspects of life and living—the end. The dark goddess roamed the land. In Poland she was known as Jagusia, Zośka, or Baśka.

She was imagined to be a female, so tall and slender that she was unable to fit beneath the low ceiling of the cottages; thus she would stand outside the front door or before a window…This female was dressed in a white sheet, carried a scythe, and came three nights in a row, each time knocking on the window or door by way of giving notice. Nothing had the power to stay her since, if she wished, she could change shape and enter through the chimney or through a keyhole…No one escaped Death. (Hodorowicz Knab 257)

As frightening as she was, there were some clues to her looming. It was believed that a dog’s howl announced her approach. If a bird flew into the house, a death was imminent. There was a belief that deaths occur in groups of three. If a mirror breaks, a death will follow. If a picture falls of a wall, a death in the house was coming. If an ill person hears a knocking, their death is imminent. Fortunately, the Polish also believe that the newly dead have various means of contacting the living soon after they have moved on. If a knock is heard or a door suddenly swings open, a newly deceased family member is reaching out (Anders-Silverman 56–57).

At the moment of death, a series of rituals involving the departing soul’s protection began. The body was washed in an herbal bath (heated water filled with rue, myrtle, mugwort, or other herbs blessed for this occasion) so that the soul would be pristine for future travels. The deceased was then dressed in a “death shirt” that reached down to the ankles and must be made new without shedding tears, as crying would decimate the family line. A very tall hat, called a duchna, was made from the same material. Because knots were often used in curses and dark magic, the seamstress had to be careful to avoid knotting the thread as they worked.

Older men had black ribbons tied around their waist, neck, and wrists. Young men had green. Women’s heads were covered with a kerchief. The very young or unmarried were dressed with red ribbons. The body was then immediately placed on a plank that was covered with straw and kept there for three days before being moved to the coffin. Finally, coins were placed in the hands of the departed so they would not have any reason to return.

It was believed that the soul stayed near the body for an unknown length of time, so comforts were left out where they would be easily found. These included furniture and food items. People would stop by and partake in the feast, sometimes staying for the duration of the wake.

The Lithuanian version of the death maiden is Giltinė. It was believed that she was a tall and gaunt blind woman carrying a scythe. She lurks at night and causes domestic animals to behave strangely as an announcement of her approach. Again, many odd occurrences announce death: bread will not bake properly, pictures and mirrors fall from crumbling walls, and people who dream of losing teeth are visited by dead relatives as they sleep.

Lithuanian funerals were often referred to as feasts for the souls of the dead. There was an abundance of flowing alcohol and food offerings to those who attended the funeral of their loved one. Offerings of beer were made to the goddess Žemyna at the onset of the funeral and then each person present was honored and offered their memories and condolences. The recently departed was regaled with songs and festivities. It was important to complete the feast of the funeral since it was considered ill omen to bring home any food (“Funeral Traditions”).

It must be noted that these death maidens bear a strong resemblance to Russia’s Baba Yaga, in the sense that they rule the darkest aspects of the year and part of life. The people of the old Slavic world accepted death and generally did not fear it. It was thought of as a natural progression through our time on the planet. Like the fertile and sleeping earth, we merely move from one realm to another.

Throughout the world, this time of year is often plagued with spooky stories and gatherings where people dress up and embrace the more frightening bumps in the night.

The Slavic countries are pregnant with folklore dedicated to the creatures of the night: werewolves, nightmares, vampires, ghosts, and ghouls factor heavily in their legends and myths. For instance, the Polish zmora or mara (where the word nightmare originated) is a kind of night woman who may take the form of a horse, but is the sleeping soul of a person that has left its body and feeds on the life force of others, causing fitful sleep and frightening dreams. As the nights grow longer and cooler and the veil thins, Samhain is the time of the year to embrace the darkness and celebrate the old ways of our people.

Bibliography

Anders Silverman, Deborah. Polish-American Folklore. Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2000.

“Funeral Traditions,” Lithuanian Customs and Traditions, accessed August 16, 2015. http://thelithuanians.com/bookanthology/funeral.html.

Hodorowicz Knab, Sophie. Polish Customs, Traditions, & Folklore. New York: Hippocrene Books, Inc., 1993.

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