DEATH: from "Memoirs of a Peasant"

Deat

”They died with no fear and died with extraordinary calmness. For example, when a farmer felt death was near, he would call his wife, children, servants, acquaintances, and neighbors. He would tell them he was going to die and take his leave from them, begging forgiveness if he wronged anyone; and he would ask his neighbors and friends to help his wife take him to the cemetery. In other words, he left for the next world as calmly as if he was going to return shortly. Today, many folks feel more grief and anguish about leaving for American or Prussia.” The very capable and appreciated Dr. Orzechowski . . . once told me that death among the peasants presented a very instructional scene and strengthened his conviction that the intelligentsia, so busy bringing education to the rural areas, could learn a lot of life’s wisdom from the peasants.” “When they saw a sick man was dying,they would bring in a sheaf of straight straw, spread it in the hut under the central beam, and place the sick man on it. On the straw was nothing more than a sheet or a linen or hemp fabric, while pillows and anything made with feathers would be removed, so that the sick man would have an easy death. The notion at the time was that his death would be harder if he was lying on anything made of feathers.” “The dead were dressed as in life, usually of homespun hemp cloth. Their clothing consisted of a shirt, pants or trousers, and a cap. The coffin was made of pine boards, which many a farmer would save for years. Farmers were especially likely to hold onto boards that had a lot of pitch in them, because it was said these would not turn to dust so quickly in the ground. The coffin was simple, white, sometimes darkened with soot, and a cross was marked on every coffin.” “The body lay in the coffin in the main room, the hallway, or the doorway till the third day. If it was a fairly wealthy farmer or farmer's wife who had died, the body would be kept in the main room and an old man would be hired to sit with the deceased day and night, with a lamp or candles burning. Usually all the members of the household left the home to stay with neighbors until the day of the funeral.” --------- “Children or servants went around to invite people to the funeral, or else the farmer himself or his wife went from home to home throughout the village, and even to the neighboring villages with relatives, friends, and acquaintances. Children and young folks would clasp people by the feet when inviting them to the funeral. If anyone was forgotten, he would take offence, at it rarely turned out that he would go to the funeral.” “The remains were carried from the house right after dawn. Everyone who came was treated with a cup of vodka, and there were few who refused it; those who liked vodka drank more. Before setting out for the funeral, one of the farmers who had a gift for talking would give the so-called egzorta or exhortation in short and fervent words, which usually moved those listening to loud weeping. After the coffin was sprinkled with holy water, the funeral entourage would set out for the parish church. Upon completion of whatever ceremony had been requested, and Holy Mass, they would head for the cemetery, the place of eternal rest. The coffin was carried in a wagon on sideboards or ladders, or, in winter, on a sleigh.” “After the funeral, the nearest relative of the deceased would stop somewhere along the way and invite all the participants to his house or to the tavern for the so-called konstelacja or “consolation.” This lasted till evening, and many-especially among the townsmen--spent a lot of money on it. There was weeping and lamentation, and plenty of encouragement or consolation for the surviving widow or widower.” And he added that on occasion, they would get drunk and even get into fights. ------------------- While looking for pictures or paintings to illustrate the day’s post, I found other paintings depicting death by Polish artists: https://culture.pl/en/article/8-polish-paintings-about-death “Memoirs of a Peasant: From Serfdom to the Present Day by Jan Slomka