Professional mourning
Professional mourning or paid mourning is a mostly historical occupation practiced in Mediterranean and Near Eastern cultures and many other parts of the world. Professional mourners, also called moirologists,[1] are compensated to lament or deliver a eulogy. Mentioned in the Bible, the occupation is widely invoked in literature, from the Ugaritic epics of early centuries BC to modern poetry. Held in high esteem in some cultures and times, the practice was vilified in others.
In popular culture
In Honoré de Balzac's landmark 1835 novel Le Père Goriot, the title character's funeral is attended by two professional mourners rather than his daughters.[2] The 1993 Indian film, Rudaali directed by Kalpana Lajmi was set in Rajasthan, is about the life of a professional mourner, or Rudaali. [3]
See also
References
- Footnote 1 in Sabar, Y. (1976). "Lel-Huza: Story and History in a Cycle of Lamentations for the Ninth of Ab in the Jewish Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Zakho, Iraqi Kurdistan." Journal of Semitic Studies (21) 138-162.
- ↑ A Word A Day - Moirologist.
- ↑ Balzac, Honoré de. Father Goriot. (The Works of Honoré de Balzac. Vol. XIII.) Philadelphia: Avil Publishing Company, 1901.
- ↑ "Rudaali". University of Iowa. Retrieved 2014-09-01.
External links
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