FUNERALS AND THE DAY OF THE DEAD By Jay Mason Break, break, break, On thy cold gray stones, O Sea! And I would that my tongue could utter The thoughts that arise in me And the stately ships go on To their haven under the hill; But O for the touch of a vanish’d hand, and the sound of a voice that is still ~Alfred, Lord Tennyson No one likes going to a funeral. I have noticed lately that some people are requesting to not have a funeral at all when they die. I worry that some day there will be no funerals at all. We will all be cremated and forgotten as quickly as possible. Why have funerals been around since the beginning of time? The word itself was first used in English by Geoffrey Chaucer around 1386 in The Knight’s Tale. Two Thebean knights, Arcite and Palaamon, were captured by Theseus, King of Athens, and imprisoned for life. From their prison they both fell in love with the beautiful Emily, sister of the king, as she walked daily in the garden beneath the prison. By chance, Arcite was released through the intervention of a friend of the king and was sent home on the condition that he never return to Athens. His love for Emily was so great that he came back to Athens disguised as a laborer and eventually became the chief steward of the King. In the meantime, Palamon escaped from the prison and was hiding in the forest where Arcite is pining one day over his love for Emily. They meet and agree that they should fight to the death to decide who should be the suitor of Emily, and soon thereafter meet, don armor and begin the fight for Emily. The King is hunting in the same forest and comes upon the two knights who have almost beaten each other to death. They confess to the King of their past misdeeds and
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unrequited love for Emily. The King is about to have them slain, but his wife, and sister Emily, prevail upon the King to spare them. He proclaims that a great contest will be held and that the winner of the jousting shall be the husband of Emily. Palamon defeats Arcite, but the wise king takes the wounded Arcite back to the palace to try to heal him. Arcite dies, and he is given a royal funeral. Palamon, Emily, the King and Queen all participate and celebrate the valiant knight and his love for truth and beauty. There is true grief by all who participate. It takes several months to recover from the grand event, but eventually Palamon and Emily are wed. November is the month to remember those who have gone before us. It begins with All Saints Day when we pray that all our loved one are in Heaven and is immediately followed by All Souls Day when we pray for deceased family and friends. These holy days were started by Pope Boniface IV, when he consecrated the Pantheon (a former Roman temple) in Rome to all Christian martyrs in 609 A.D., and have been celebrated by Catholics since that time. Recently, there has been a growing recognition in America of the Day of the Dead from the Hispanic culture which lasts three days from October 31st to November 2nd. Many cultures around the world cherish their ancestors and pray to them. The Romans built family mausoleums and would regularly have family gatherings surrounded by their deceased loved ones. It sounds strange today, but it was common in ancient Greece and Rome. When they excavated under St. Peter’s in Rome (looking for the bones of St. Peter which they eventually found), the first thing they discovered was a Roman cemetery. When I took the tour of the excavations, I walked in a Roman family’s mausoleum where many family members were buried
