Victorian Macabre, Mourning, Superstitions and traditions.

Since having a seminar with Kat about Victorian traditions and their usual obsession with all things death, I took the time to do some more research on some of the traditional customs Victorians lived by. 

Victorian Death Customs 

- In the Victorian era, at the time of a death curtains would be drawn and clocks would be stopped exactly at the time of death
- As Victorians were superstitious they covered the windows of a room with veiling or crape so that the spirit/soul of the deceased would not get trapped in the looking glass
- Lots of candles and flowers were normally placed in the room of the deceased to mask the strong odour of the dead boy as embalming wasn't very common yet
- Dead bodies were always watched over until the final burial
- Most Victorian wakes lasted 3-4 days to allow, long distance family member and friends to travel to the body
- Victorians carried dead bodies out of a house feet first, as they believed it prevented the spirit of the dead body from looking back into the house and hypnotising/beckoning a family member to follow them to the spirit world
- A wreath was placed on the front door when a death had a occurred to let by passers know
- In the Victorian century Grave Robberies became very common, and many Victorian families began to brick over the graves of their loved ones to prevent the bodies from being stolen, as doctors and people known as the 'Resurrectionist Men' stole bodies from graves in order to supply bodies to medical schools to practice dissection 
-Dead Bodies were usually buried up to 4 days after death 
- The colour white was usually associated and featured a lot in children funerals including the coffin 
- Post mortem photography; family members would take one last photograph with their loved one whilst they were dead, they would usually be posing sitting down next to the family members, this is why Victorian photographs were commonly expressionless, gloomy, serious and had a 'cold' and 'creepy' theme 
- Colour was usually photoshopped/painted over post mortem photographs and then used to add details to the face of the deceased in the photo
- Victorians usually made plaques for deceased loved ones which explained how the deceased passed away 
- Mourning jewellery was popular in the Victorian era, hair from the deceased loved one is usually incorporated into pieces of jewellery etc rings which could be worn and treasured forever 
- Some graves had bells connected to the deceased and the grave stone to act as an alarm and also prevent being buried alive 


Victorian Death Superstitions 

- If a clock is not stopped at the time of death, or is still on whilst the dead body is in the room, you'll get bad luck
- New things/clothes are not to be worn to a funeral 
- You must always cover your mouth whilst yawning so that your should doesn't leave your body and the devil doesn't enter your soul 
- The 3 knocks of death - Superstitious Victorians believed that if you heard 3 knocks and no one is there, someone close to you has passed away 
- If you smell roses although there is none around you, it was believed that someone was going to die 
- If you see an owl during the day, death is coming 
- If you leave personal possessions with the deceased they will come back and haunt you 
- If a picture falls off a wall, then a family member will soon pass away 
- You must turn down/around family photographs in a house to prevent the deceased haunting the living 







References 
http://friendsofoakgrovecemetery.org/victorian-mourning-fashions/
http://www.xojane.com/fun/victorian-superstitions
The Victorian book of the dead by Chris Woodyard,Jessica Wiesel 
http://www.victoriana.com/VictorianPeriod/mourning.htm