Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1882-03-02
RnriaI Customs In RnrOpe.

In France. as most people are aware,
no one meeting funeral on the streets
omits TO raise the hat or cap in token
of respect but in Spain the usage
does not exist. When tho "Viatique !"
is carried through tho streets, every
one is bareheaded and kneeling, but a
funeral passing along receives no mark
of respect as in France. Moreover,
while in the latter country deceased
person is followed to the cemetery by
all his relatives, friends, acquaintances,
and even by many who are only ac-
quaintances Of his acquaintances in
Spain it is tho habit for persons to
abstain from accompanying the coffin
to the grave. II the defunct belongs
to the better classes, his friends send
their carriages to follow, but they them
selves remain ut home. The Spanish
cemeteries differ also materially from
those in France. "They are" said
M. Emile Maison, who has resided many
years at Madrid, "but walls provided
with drawers, only few monuments
being seen in the incloare, erected to
the memory of the wealthy or dis
tinguished."
To leave Spain and its customs and
halt on Italy's classic soil, there are
one or two things worth mentioning il
reference to the burial of the dead,
which is performed with a different
ceremonial in different parts OF the
country. One remark which applies to
the whole of Italy may be made, how
ever, namely, that the hearse is entirely
unknown. Apropos of the hearse, it's
introduction into France only dates
from Louis XIV.'s time; and when it
was first used to carry the dead to the
cemetery the innovation WAS loudly
condemned by the public. At Turin
the interment OF the higher classes
takes place generally at dusk the fol-
lowers are numerous, but are mostly
composed Of Wallets or servants of the
friends or relatives OF tho deceased, clad
in rich liYeries for the occasion.
At Naples funeral ceremonies are
conducted with a certain parade and
pomp. The dead man, woman or child
is exhibited, richly dressed, on the bed;
sometimes, indeed, tho body is thus OK
posed 10 view under the porch of the
house, surrounded with lighted tapers
and flowers. When the moment arrives
for placing it on the bier the duty is
discharged by q religious community,
excepting in the case Of the poor, whose
remains. as in France, are consigned 10
the "fosse commune" which is, in fact
nothing but deep well. In the mag
niGcent Neapolitan cemetery, which
forms an amphitheater, there are 365
OF these wells, one for every day in the
year. Every day one OF them is opened
to receive the dead, quantity OF quick
lime is emptied into il, few pals OF
water are poured .on, and the rtone Is
replaced, to be removed again only al
the expiration of q twelvemonth. This
is how the remains OF the poorer classes
are disposed of. With regard to the
wealthier portion OF the community,
they are inferred in a monument resem-
bling chapel. The coffin is not low
cred into vault, for the reason that
there are none, but ia placed in the
chapel itself, and covered with slight
layer Of prepared earth, which has the
property of reducing the body to a
skeleton within year from the date oil
interment The family of the deceased
person then proceed with another
funeral ceremony. The bones are col.
lected, put into a fresh coffin oipsculiar
shape, and walled up, the name aud
quality Of the defunct being inscribed
on the stone which shuts in the coffin.
At Palermo the dead are placed in 9
bier richly covered with red gilt-em.
broidered velvet, or in kind OF sedan
chair equally red, and conveyed to the
convent. On its arrival the body, after
the funeral service has been perfor med,
is lowered into q large souterrain, ("
which extends under the convent gar.
dens. Here the unconfined remains
are placed IN 3 vault, the ground oi
which is formed of extremely fine sand.
Eadh receptacle is made to hold six or
eight corpses. It is called tho "sco.
latojo," and when filed is walled mp for
q year Churchman's Sailing Magazine.