Funeral Car advice please

Janepig

Kitiara wrote: »

Sorry .. slightly off original topic but sort of relevant:

Do people still close their curtains when a funeral is taking place on their street? I know it's an old fashioned mark of respect, and one my family have always done, but recently when visiting a friend, their next door but one neighbours funeral was that day and when I mentioned it, she had never heard of that custom / tradition.

My mother always used to close the curtains in our front room when someone died. Never really understood why, but it was something everyone did back then.

Jx

Errata

I don't ever remember curtains being closed by neighbours, but I suspect they may have been drawn in the house where the death occurred when the coffin and contents were kept in the front parlour prior to transport to the church / cemetery / crem.

Savvy_Sue

I guess closing the curtains used to happen in the days when everyone knew their neighbours all along the street, and all their business.

We've been here over 10 years, but I only knew that the chap from two doors along had died years after it happened. I used to see him around the place occasionally, and hadn't missed him particularly.

Contessa

I think it used to be the custom to close the curtains from after the death until after the funeral-as a sign and a mark of respect.

Kitiara

Saw another mark of respect this morning - again one of the old ones that seems to have died out (pardon the pun). On my way to work a funeral courtage was driving past and an old man stood and took his cap off while it passed, have to admit, brought a lump to my throat.

carolan78

In our family immediate family all have a space in the funeral car if they want it but nobody holds it against them if they choose not to use it. As it has been said already, there is no right or wrong way to grieve so everyone should be able to grieve as they choose imo.