MOURNING, a particular dress or habit worn to signify grief upon some melancholy occasion, particularly the death of friends or of great public characters. The modes of mourning are various in different countries, as are also the colours used for that purpose. In Europe, the ordinary colour for mourning is black; in China, it is white; in Turkey, blue or violet; in Egypt, yellow; in Ethiopia, brown. White formerly obtained in Castille on the death of their princes; and Herrera observes, that the last time it was used was in 1498, on the death of Prince John. Each people pretend to have their reasons for the particular colour of their mourning; white is supposed to denote purity; yellow indicates that death is the end of human hopes, because leaves when they fall, and flowers when they fade, become yellow; brown denotes the earth, whither the dead return; black signifies the privation of life, as being the privation of light; blue expresses the happiness which it is hoped the deceased enjoys; and purple or violet betokens sorrow on the one side, and hope on the other, as being a mixture of black and blue.

Mourning, amongst the ancients, was, as might be expected, expressed in a great variety of ways.

Amongst the Jews, on the death of their relations or intimate friends, grief or mourning was signified by weeping, tearing their clothes, smiting their breasts or tearing them with their nails, pulling or cutting off their hair and beards, walking softly, that is, barefooted, lying upon the ground, fasting, or eating upon the ground. They kept themselves closely shut up in their houses, covered their faces, and abstained from all work, even reading the law and saying their usual prayers. They neither dressed, nor made their beds, nor shaved themselves, nor cut their nails, nor went into the bath, nor saluted any body; so that sulkiness appears to have been an indication of sorrow, and dirtiness of distress. The time of mourning amongst the Jews was generally seven days, though this was lengthened or shortened according to circumstances; but thirty days were thought sufficient upon the severest occasions. The different periods of the time of mourning required different degrees of grief, and different tokens of it.

The Greeks, upon the death of friends, showed their sorrow by secluding themselves from all gaiety, especially entertainments, games, public solemnities, the enjoyment of wine, and the delights of music. They sat in gloomy and solitary places, stripped themselves of all external ornaments, put on a coarse black stuff by way of mourning, tore their hair, shaved their heads, rolled themselves in the dust and mire, sprinkled ashes upon their heads, smote their breasts with their palms, tore their faces, and frequently cried out with a lamentable voice and drawling tone, reiterating the interjection s, ε, ε, t. Hence funeral lamentations were called Eλεyo∕. If they appeared in public during the time of mourning, they had a veil thrown over their faces and heads. During the funeral procession, certain persons called iζ-αζχοι ⅛pl vωv > marched before, and sung melancholy strains. These vocal mourners sung thrice during the procession round the pile and round the grave. Flutes were also used [7:15:585]to heighten the solemnity. At the funerals of soldiers, their fellow-soldiers who attended, as a testimony of their affliction, held their shields, their spears, and the rest of their armour, inverted.

The tokens of private grief amongst the Romans were nearly the same as those already observed as customary amongst the Greeks. Black or dark brown were the colours of the mourning habits worn by the men; and they were also common to the women. The mourning of the emperors at first was black. In the time of Augustus, the women wore white veils, but the rest of their dress was black. From the time of Domitian they wore nothing but white habits, without any ornaments of gold, jewels, or pearls. The men let their hair and beards grow, and wore' no wreaths of flowers on their heads whilst the days of mourning continued. The longest time of mourning was ten months. This was Numa’s establishment, and included his whole year. During this time it was infamous for a widow to marry. Mourning was not used for children who died under three years of age. From this age to ten they mourned as many months as the child was years old. ∙A remarkable victory, or other happy event, occasioned the shortening of the time of mourning. The birth of a child, or the attainment of any remarkable honour in the family, certain feasts in honour of the gods, or the consecration of a temple, had the same effect. After the battle of Cannae, the commonwealth decreed that mourning should not be worn for more than thirty days, that the loss sustained might be forgotten as soon as possible. When public magistrates or persons of great note died, also when any remarkable calamity happened, all public meetings were intermitted, the schools of exercise, baths, shops, temples, and all places of concourse, were shut up, and the whole city put on an appearance of sorrow; the senators laid aside the laticlave, and the consuls sat in a lower seat than ordinary. This was also the custom of Athens, and was observed upon the death of Socrates, not long after he had been sentenced to death by their judges.

Proeficae, or mourning women, went about the streets. This was customary amongst the Jews as well as the Greeks and Romans (Jerem. ix. 17).