Undertaking as a profession was virtually unknown in Europe
before the 17th century. Some European cities demanded funerals
simply in the name of religion, while in others it was the name
of sanitation, and many funeral customs were based on pagan
rituals. • Mourning clothes were worn as a disguise so that
returning spirits would fail to recognize mourners and thus
confused, overlook them. • Pagan tribes believed that the spirit
of the deceased escaped through the mouth. They would often hold
the mouth and nose of a sick person shut, hoping to retain the
spirits and delay death. This may often have had the opposite
effect. • Wakes originated from the custom of keeping watch over
the deceased in the hope that life would return. • Feasting
after a funeral began as offerings of food being made to appease
spirits after a death. • The ringing of bells and lighting of
candles is to protect the living from returning spirits. • The
firing of a rifle volley over the deceased mirrors the tribal
practice of throwing spe