The fear of a decreased person returning as a ghost was at one time in history so real that many cultures put specific practices and traditions in place to try and prevent hauntings.
These traditions included everything from preparing the deceased for burial, the funeral, the burial itself and even what should be done afterwards.
Many of these traditions have lost their original meanings but are still practiced today.
For instance…
The tradition of shutting a deceased person’s eyes was an attempt to close the “window” between the spirit and living world.
The custom of covering the deceased with a white sheet comes from the pagan belief that the spirit of the dead person could escape through the mouth.
Various cultures had their own methods to prevent hauntings.
One widespread practice was to leave the dead person’s doors unlocked and the windows open in order to ensure the soul was able to escape.
Another less common practice among some cultures was to burn or destroy the deceased home to keep the spirit away.
Another less common practice among some cultures was to burn or destroy the deceased home to keep the spirit away.
In another post, I mentioned how mirrors were often covered in black crape so the spirit would not get trapped– and to ensure they were able to pass to the other side.
Often family photographs were placed face down to prevent any of the family or friends from being possessed by the spirit of the dead person.
Some cultures took their fear of hauntings to an extreme.
For instance…
The Saxons in early England cut off the feet of their deceased so the corpses would be unable to walk.
Some aborigine tribes took this a step further by cutting the deceased heads off. They thought this would leave the spirit too busy looking for their head to worry about haunting the living.
Even tombstones played a role in preventing ghosts from returning. The traditional Victorian stone grave markers such as the stone cross and mother and child were made extra heavy. This was because it was believed that ghosts could be weighed down.
Another tradition in cemeteries was to place 3 steps or 3 tiers at chapels, monuments, and mausoleums. This was to assist the deceased to enter the next world.
Other examples…
Other examples…
Women were not buried in black because this allowed them to return and haunt their families.
Ancient Egyptian tombs were found to have mazes at the entrance. These mazes were placed to prevent the spirits from returning. This goes along with the traditional belief that ghosts can only travel in a straight line.
Traditional funeral possessions would often return after the funeral ceremony by a different route than the one taken initially. This was done to confuse the deceased so they could not follow the living home.