Traditions surrounding death

In the olden days, neighbours were important as part of the rituals after someone's passing. The neighbours would be the ones who help with the cleaning of the remains and carrying the coffin down to the graveyard. Whatsmore, the neighbours would be the messengers who went around the village and told others of the news that someone had passed away. Probably that was the case in a largely rural and agricultural society, as I doubt this is still done...

Then the mirrors had to be covered, and curtains pulled closed to show that the household is in mourning. Normally, most Dutch households have big open windows and have their curtains open all the time. This is in line with the Calvist tradition, for open windows allow the outside world to see that this is a 'pure' and devout household, for there is nothing to hide. As for the mirrors, they are thought to be windows to the soul, and people believed that the soul of the deceased may drag the soul of a living person with it if the mirrors are not covered over. Another reason is because mirrors are a symbol of vanity, and there is no place for such thoughts in the sombre setting of mourning.

As part of the dowry, there is usually a piece of white clothing that is given to the bride . This is what they call a "deathcloth" (doodskleed), and it is first worn ont he wedding night, and then put into the closet to be washed once a year. There are no buttons on this piece of clothing, for buttons are believed to hold back the spirit when someone passes on, and the clothing must be tailored to the exact size as the deceased. When a death occurs in the family, the first name of the deceased is sown onto the deathcloth (and the needle thrown into an open fire to be destroyed...).

The term "stinking rich" (stinkend rijk) actually comes from the tradition of burrying the deceased around the local church. As time past, the churchyards were filling with corpses, which resulted in a pepetual stench that lingered. Being able to be burried in the churchyard meant that you were rich enough to pay for a space in the stinking final resting place.