The "waking" tradition
The Irish Wake (Irish: Caoineadh) is a traditional mourning custom formerly practiced in Ireland. An integral part of the grieving process for family, friends, and neighbors of the deceased, Irish wakes are occasions that mix gaiety and sadness. The custom is a celebration of the life that had passed, but the tone of the wake depended largely on the circumstances of the death.
A wake usually began at the time of death and lasted until the family left with the body for the funeral service. If a death occurred in the evening, the wake was not held until the following night to allow mourners to travel and prepare for the services.
Preparations for the wake begin soon after death. A window may be opened so that the spirit of the deceased may leave the room. It is considered bad luck to walk or stand between the deceased and the window, as this is thought to interrupt the progress of the soul out the window. After two hours, the window is then closed to prevent the soul from returning to the body. All clocks in the house are stopped as a sign of respect, and women gather to bathe and dress the body. The deceased often is dressed in white and if male, the face is shaved before the body is dressed. The body is then laid out for viewing on a table or bed and is attended until the burial. All mirrors in the household are covered, removed, or turned around. Also all clocks are stopped at the time the deceased passed.
Immediately after they prepare the body, the women begin keening.
This vocal lamentation is a display of mourning and sounds a bit like wailing to those who are not accustomed to it. Superstition holds that keening must not begin until after the body is prepared or evil spirits will surround the wake and body.
Devout Irish Catholics integrated many religious traditions into the wake. A rosary is placed in the hands of the deceased, and each mourner kneels beside the body and says a prayer. The entire rosary is said at least once during the wake, commonly at midnight. The prayers are usually led by a leader in the community and the entire group of mourners supply the responses.
The Irish also celebrated the life of the deceased and shared food and drink throughout the wake. Music, dancing, and physical games made the wake feel more like a party. The Catholic church has tried numerous times (unsuccessfully) throughout history to abolish the consumption of alcohol at wakes. Though it is a time of sadness, the presence of friends and family makes it more bearable and there is generally great joviality as the deceased is fondly remembered; indeed, there is tradition in some parts of the country to play a game of cards and include a hand for the deceased.
Friends stay with the corpse throughout the night. A rosary is said during the day and a Mass may also be said in the house. Typically, the wake lasts until the next afternoon, though occasionally it may last a second night, especially circumstances caused the wake to begin late in the evening.
The afternoon after the wake, the undertaker will place the corpse in a coffin or casket and take it to the funeral home. As this represents the deceased leaving home for the last time; it is often one of the saddest moments. A removal will take place when people who may not have been to the house will attend and commiserate before the casket is closed for the last time. The body rests overnight in a church before burial after a Mass the following day.
Though many of these customs have faded away in modern Ireland, some are still practiced, particularly the laying out of the body in the house before burial. This is rare, however, in the main cities and towns and a declining practice in many rural areas. Generally, the wake is seen as the celebratory gathering after the funeral ceremony, where people might share stories of the deceased over food and drink, but most importantly, to give the people a day to remember the person and to show their love of them. The traditional wake is strongest in the northern part of Ireland.
The Irish wake, in the sense of celebrating at a death, originated with the ancient Celts. In their belief system, once someone died in this world they moved on to the afterlife, which was a better world, and thus cause for celebration.
American Wakes
Similar parties were thrown in Ireland when a loved one left the country. These became known as "American wakes" or "emigrant wakes" in the mid-19th century as Irish immigration to the United States increased. Many emigrants would never see their Irish neighbours and friends again, and a send-off party was thrown that included the same mix of gaiety and sadness found in an Irish wake.
Icelandic Wakes
In Iceland the wake ceremony is called kistulagning. It is a small funeral service held for the closest family members and friends. It takes up to 30 minutes and is usually held in a small funeral chapel which is called a kapella.
Though Nordic in most terms of culture, the Icelandic wake is similar to the Viking tradition in name only. Most Nordic deceased were sent to sea on small boats, while the wealthier men were buried inside their treasured warships. Instead of watching them drift out to sea, the Vikings would typically hold a day of observation at the gravesite while telling stories of the deceased. This tradition would commonly be referred to as the observation of the proverbial "wake" left behind by the dead and most likely is the namesake for most Western wakes, which were typically called "waking."
Eastern Christian
In the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches, when one of the faithful dies, there are special Prayers at the Departure of the Soul that are said by the priest. After this, the body is washed by family members or friends , clothed in new garments (), and placed in the coffin. A cross, and perhaps the deceased's prayer rope are placed in their hands. A linen band, called a phylactery, having on it an icon of Christ, the Theotokos (Mother of God), and St. John the Baptist, and the words of the Trisagion, is placed on their forehead, to symbolize the crown of victory. Candles may be placed around the coffin (often four, to form a cross, with candles at the head, foot, and each side).
After all is ready, the priest serves the "First Panikhida (memorial service). Following the Panikhida, family and friends take turns reading the Psalms next to the body. This vigil continues until the time of the funeral itself (traditionally on the third day of death). Since the purpose of the wake is both to pray for the departed and to comfort the living, the psalms are interrupted after each kathisma (division of the Psalter) for a brief service, called the Litya, which is an abbreviated form of the Panikhida.
If the family is using a traditional coffin, with a detachable lid, the lid is stood upright outside the main door of the house as a sign that the household is in mourning, and encouraging all to come and pray for the deceased. Originally, the wake was in the home, and the body was not moved to the church until it was actually time for the funeral, at which time the priest and faithful would all gather at the home and begin the funeral service as the remains were carried in procession to the church.
When a bishop or priest dies, his body is washed and clothed in all his vestments by the clergy, who then take turns reading the Gospel beside the coffin. An Aër (veil used in the Divine Liturgy) is placed over the face of a departed bishop or priest, a blessing cross is placed in his hands, and a Gospel Book laid in the coffin with him.
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