Funeral in Poland

Relatives and friends are notified of the death and details of the funeral. Special death notices called klepsydra are used to inform about a funeral ceremony.

Relatives usually place a candle in the dead person’s hand. It is considered that the light shows the way to heaven. Another tradition is closing a dead person’s eyes. The number of objects that are connected to a tradition are put into the coffin. Those are primarily a rosary and a picture of the patron of the deceased. A prayer book, little money, favourite things of the deceased are placed in the coffin, too. It also happens that the items associated with the daily activities of the deceased are also put into the coffin.

The singer is often present during the funeral rite. This is a person who leads the prayers at home of the deceased person, and at the funeral rite itself. He uses a unique collection of books with songs chosen especially for this occasion.

The tradition also states that we should put a black material on the mirrors, or turn them around so they face the wall. We should also remove all the potential reflecting surfaces such as water which can cause that the dead will see his face in the reflection. If the deceased will be reflected in the mirror - the death will not leave the place for a long time

Until coming back from the funeral we should stop all the clocks on the hour of the death of the deceased so as to show that time has no meaning in this house, so the death can no longer take anyone away.

In some traditional rural areas there are three “stops” in a funeral ceremony. The first stop is a wake. The body lies at state in the house of the deceased or their relatives. Family, neighbors and friends gather and pray during the day and night for around three days. Then the coffin is carried in a procession (usually by foot) to the church, where a remembrance service takes place. And then the body is carried yet in another procession to the cemetery.

In urban areas there are usually two, or just one “stop”. The body, brought by a hearse from the morgue, may be taken to a church, a religious chapel on a cemetery belonging to a particular denomination, or a secular chapel at a communal cemetery. Once there, a special remembrance service would be held. Then everyone drives to the cemetery, or go outside the cemetery chapel. During the procession through the cemetery, the coffin is either carried by pallbearers, or driven in a hearse, before those gathered for the burial. Sometimes only the last “stop” takes place.

Once at the cemetery, rural and urban customs are similar. Religious duties are carried out (or a speech by a secular speaker conducting the burial), the coffin is then lowered into the grave. Each mourner throws a handful of soil onto the coffin. Then shovels of soil are thrown, to level the terrain and form a grave. A cross with a name plate or just a name plate is placed at the top. After a moment, wreaths and flowers are placed on the grave.

The last important tradition associated with the funeral is a mourning party after the funeral. This refers to a meal for family, neighbors and friends of the deceased, held after the ceremony at the cemetery, usually in the house of the deceased. In the past, it was more like meeting for prayers, now is becoming more informal in character. Typically there would be a meal, possibly speeches, lots of small talk and maybe some anecdotes about the deceased.

Although there is no formal obligation to dress in black and abandon the social life in rural areas, these restrictions are quite strictly kept. Grief usually lasts for one year, and it includes the family of the deceased, parents, children, siblings. People over the age of 18 demonstrate their mourning by wearing black clothes. Children may do the same, however it isn’t expected. For children, sometimes only a black ribbon is pinned to their clothing.

The End