This encourages the mourners to accept the reality of death and allows them to personally assist the body of their loved one into the ground. This stage begins upon returning home from the cemetery. Still in a deep state of grief, the mourner slowly begins to return to life by attending to his or her bodily needs. This meal should be prepared by neighbors or other members of the community. It often consists of bread and hard boiled eggs.
Eggs represent the circle of life, the cycle of birth and death.
Ashes are often sprinkled on the egg to represent grief and loss. Covering the mirrors Man was created in God's image. To symbolize this eclipse, the mirrors in a house of mourning are covered. It is a custom for mourners to sit on low stools, or on the floor. Visitors must be careful to sit in such a way that their heads are not level with, nor below, the mourner's.