The Greek Burial Rituals

1. The Greek Burial Rituals An introduction to Greek society and culture

2. Attention to Detail • The Greek culture was loaded with rituals and ceremonies. One of their most important was the Death ritual. • This ritual was performed to prepare the body and the soul for the journey to the afterlife. Any faults would result in someone’s spirit being lost forever, and curses placed on the living family members. • For the living, if you failed to perform the ceremony for your honored dead, the Gods would curse you and your house for all eternity. • This ritual was divine writ. Meaning the Gods demanded that the living take care of the dead or suffer unholy punishment.

3. The Ritual • First step: the covering/closing of the eyes and mouth. • This is so the soul does not leave the body until the ceremony is complete. • Step two: The cleansing and preparing of the body. • How the body looked for the ceremony would carry over and reflect the spirit in the afterlife.

4. The Ritual cont’d • Step Three: Preparing the body: • The body would be dressed in white linens or ceremonial armor • How the body looked during the ritual is how the spirit would look upon waking. • The body would be placed on a mobile pedestal (bier) with its feet pointed toward an open door. • This is so the spirit would leave the house and not stay behind. • The body would be covered in herbs and wild marjoram.. • They believed the herbs would protect the body from evil spirits.

5. The Ritual cont’d • Step Four: The Prothesis; the wake The Prothesis is the actual ceremony for the dead. • Women would wait around the body. Holding the children of the deceased. • Family members would be dressed in darker robes and dresses. While the priestesses would wear their traditional white garments. • The men would enter second with their right hand raised. • They too would be wearing darker togas and robes. • The closest relative would enter last and reach out to touch the head of dead. While this was happening the witnesses would lightly beat their own faces and pull their own hair. • They would hurt themselves to show the pain of losing a friend as if they lost part of their own body. • Songs and chants would also be used as well as flutes called aulos

6. The Ritual cont’d • Step five: The Ekphora; the burial • The burial ritual would occur several days after the Prothesis • People would make offerings to the Gods in the name of the dead. • They would try to please the Gods to allow safe passage for the spirit to the underworld. • Wines, gold, food, breast milk, honey would be placed inside the tomb as well. • To help give the spirit strength for his/her journey • Offerings would continue for the 3rd, 9th, 13th day and one year anniversary of the Ekphora. • It was seen as an honor to have a family member in the afterlife, and so the ritual would take on a celebration attitude for the dead as time passed on.