Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Historical Enquiry Into The Funereal Ceremonies Of The Various Nations Of The World*
Christians repeat the Requieseat in pace , to which those present respond , Amen . The Lutherans of Saxony open the coffin at the moment of committing it to the grave , and consider in silence , the dead in its last restingplace , in order to ascertain if it present any signs of life . In Denmark the minister apostrophises the body of the defunct , lvhen deposited in the grave , casting earth thrice upon it , and saying , " Thou art
born of the earth , thou will again become earth , and will rise again earth . " The Greek Christians send greetings by the departed to those relations or friends Avho had preceded them in the tomb . In Russia , the persons present kiss the coffin , and the priest places a passport in the hand of the deceased , signed by the metropolitan and confessor . The Georgians , who are schismatic Christians of the Levant , place upon the breast of the departed a letter of recommendation written by the Patriarch , by Avhich St . Peter is prayed to introduce the bearer into heaven .
In Turkey , the body being placed in the centre of the apartment , the ivords , "Sabann Allah ! " '' Oh merciful God , have pity upon us !" are repeated in a mournful tone by all around . The Laplanders pass round a cup containing ivhat they call the " wine of the blessed , " which they empty in honour of the dead . They drink thus in order to remind them of him , who has had the happiness of being delivered from the miseries of this world . In Chinathe son of the dying man takes off his cap and comes ivith
, dishevelled hair to present himself to the gaze of his parent ; he then tears in pieces the curtains and coverings of the bed , and casts the fragments on the body . Tbe bonzes * of Japan utter prayers during the space of seven days ; on the eighth , the body being consumed , the urn containing the ashes is carried to the place where it is to be interred ; the spot is then covered with a plate of copper , upon which is engraven the name of the
deceased , and the Deity he worshipped . In the peninsula of Corea the dead are preserved in their houses for the space of three years ; and interments only take place at the two seasons of spring and autumn . At Tonquin the nearest relative of the defunct stretches himself on the ground and permits himself to be trodden under foot by those Avho bear the body . At the funeral ceremonies of a king all the roadsb
, y which the cortege pass , are covered with violet-coloured cotton cloth , although the distance may be very great ; and the procession must be sixteen days on the march . At the obsequies of Ta-Tha-Ty-Twong , one of the kings of Tonquin , in 1675 , they built a superb city in the middle of an island , the edifices of ivhich Avere covered externally ivith the most precious stuffs , and were decorated with pictures and sculptures representing armies , battles , horses ,
and elephants ; gold and precious stones also glittered on all sides . After the funeral ceremonies were concluded , they set fire to this city , and the riches described became a prey to the flames in honour of the deceased . At Siam they restore the body to that element chosen by the individual for his divinity during his life . In India the funeral pile , on ivhich they propose to burn the body , is generally prepared on the bank of some river . Then first extending
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Historical Enquiry Into The Funereal Ceremonies Of The Various Nations Of The World*
Christians repeat the Requieseat in pace , to which those present respond , Amen . The Lutherans of Saxony open the coffin at the moment of committing it to the grave , and consider in silence , the dead in its last restingplace , in order to ascertain if it present any signs of life . In Denmark the minister apostrophises the body of the defunct , lvhen deposited in the grave , casting earth thrice upon it , and saying , " Thou art
born of the earth , thou will again become earth , and will rise again earth . " The Greek Christians send greetings by the departed to those relations or friends Avho had preceded them in the tomb . In Russia , the persons present kiss the coffin , and the priest places a passport in the hand of the deceased , signed by the metropolitan and confessor . The Georgians , who are schismatic Christians of the Levant , place upon the breast of the departed a letter of recommendation written by the Patriarch , by Avhich St . Peter is prayed to introduce the bearer into heaven .
In Turkey , the body being placed in the centre of the apartment , the ivords , "Sabann Allah ! " '' Oh merciful God , have pity upon us !" are repeated in a mournful tone by all around . The Laplanders pass round a cup containing ivhat they call the " wine of the blessed , " which they empty in honour of the dead . They drink thus in order to remind them of him , who has had the happiness of being delivered from the miseries of this world . In Chinathe son of the dying man takes off his cap and comes ivith
, dishevelled hair to present himself to the gaze of his parent ; he then tears in pieces the curtains and coverings of the bed , and casts the fragments on the body . Tbe bonzes * of Japan utter prayers during the space of seven days ; on the eighth , the body being consumed , the urn containing the ashes is carried to the place where it is to be interred ; the spot is then covered with a plate of copper , upon which is engraven the name of the
deceased , and the Deity he worshipped . In the peninsula of Corea the dead are preserved in their houses for the space of three years ; and interments only take place at the two seasons of spring and autumn . At Tonquin the nearest relative of the defunct stretches himself on the ground and permits himself to be trodden under foot by those Avho bear the body . At the funeral ceremonies of a king all the roadsb
, y which the cortege pass , are covered with violet-coloured cotton cloth , although the distance may be very great ; and the procession must be sixteen days on the march . At the obsequies of Ta-Tha-Ty-Twong , one of the kings of Tonquin , in 1675 , they built a superb city in the middle of an island , the edifices of ivhich Avere covered externally ivith the most precious stuffs , and were decorated with pictures and sculptures representing armies , battles , horses ,
and elephants ; gold and precious stones also glittered on all sides . After the funeral ceremonies were concluded , they set fire to this city , and the riches described became a prey to the flames in honour of the deceased . At Siam they restore the body to that element chosen by the individual for his divinity during his life . In India the funeral pile , on ivhich they propose to burn the body , is generally prepared on the bank of some river . Then first extending