DEPICTIONS OF FUNERAL RITUAL BETWEEN DACIAN-ROMAN LEGACIES AND ACTUALITY (THE MORNING CUSTOM AND THE DAWN SONG FROM THE NORTHWEST OF DOLJ COUNTY)
DEPICTIONS OF FUNERAL RITUAL BETWEEN DACIAN-ROMAN LEGACIES AND ACTUALITY (THE MORNING CUSTOM AND THE DAWN SONG FROM THE NORTHWEST OF DOLJ COUNTY)

Summary/Abstract: The funeral rite is a fundamental aspect of the process of a person's passage from this world to the underworld. Throughout history, each culture and society has developed its own representations of this important moment of transition. In modern society, depictions of funerary ritual have evolved in accordance with social and technological changes. Individual traditions and increasing cultural diversity have brought with it a number of changes in the way people face and express their grief of loss. Currently, funeral rites can range from traditional religious ceremonies to personalized civil burials or even commemoration actions. Many beliefs and traditions we inherited from our ancestors, the Dacians and Romans, and as testimonies over time are the customs and rituals that we still find in rural life. Each civilization emphasized its own values and beliefs about the afterlife. Depictions of the funeral rite give us insight into human values and understanding in the face of the inevitable – death. The funeral rite among the Greeks, as in Romanian culture, involved certain practices of preparing the body of the deceased for the burial rite. The last road to the Greeks was marked by certain offerings and sacrifices, where the community expressed its regrets; they organized memorial dinners to honor the memory of the departed, a custom that is still practiced today among Romanians. In Ancient Rome, there is also that custom of purifying the family home. The ancient Romans used certain aromatic plants to banish all the energies left after death. From the Dacians we do not have so much information regarding the funeral ritual. However, following discoveries and historical accounts, a different aspect catches our attention: cremation, burning of the body of the deceased. We also remember the Dacian tombs where various personal objects were placed, traditions that we inherited and which are practiced today.

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