Images of life on a turn-of-the-century Russian country estate.
There are many traditions that a wealthy Russian family at the turn of the century might have included as part of their mourning practices. A few of them include:
Reading prayers and making the sign of the cross
The sick or dying person would be laid out with their head in closest proximity to religion icons in the home.
Branches of fir and juniper might be thrown along the funeral procession
A tradition of holding a feast for the dead three, nine, and forty days after the death. Possibly a final feast one year after the death.
Graves are visited on a regular basis as a sign of respect for the dead
"This ‘saintly’ land — Russian graves — defines homeland and roots the population to [the] area." (Michael Bouchard, "Graveyards: Russian ritual and belief pertaining to the dead.")
This helpful website explores Russian funeral traditions and their connection to folklore.