The people here in Brasil do not have much of an opportunity to grieve for the loss of their loved ones as it is mandatory to bury the dead within twenty-four hours of their passing away.

This is due in large part to the climate, which is at times very hot and clammy, but it is also in the interests of health, and to prevent further sickness in those who come into contact with the dead person. The houses too are in general very small, and there is no opportunity of “waking” the dead in them. As a result, as soon as possible after the death, the corpse is placed in the coffin and is festooned with flowers, which are usually white or yellow. The body is generally brought to the local community centre or church, where the family, friends and members of the community come to pay their respects, and say the Rosary. Before the actual burial itself, the people gather to pray for their dead and then accompany the body to the cemetery for the interment.

The burial itself is very simple. Those carrying the coffin enter first, turning the coffin so that the feet of the dead person face towards the entrance of the cemetery. Then follows the immediate family and relations. When everyone is gathered around the grave, the people say the Our Father, and then, beginning with the close relations, everyone is invited to throw a small trowel of clay on top of the coffin, and this continues until the grave is full.

Seven days after the death however, a special Mass called “The Seventh Day Mass” is celebrated in the Basilica for all those who have died in the preceding week, or a special Liturgical celebration may take place in the local community for the deceased. There is also the Months mind, and on the anniversary of the death, the person is prayed for especially in the community.

Here in Iguape, on All Souls' Day, four Masses are celebrated in all the cemeteries of the parish, two of which, which have been in use for over four hundred years, and there the memory of the deceased is recalled and special prayers offered for the departed.

I was also talking to our parish priest, Agostinho Janning, who for many years had worked among the indigenous people in Roraimo and Rondônia, in the north of Brasil. He told me about a custom of one group in the area. When a person dies, the body is tied in leaves and branches, to prevent the birds and the wild animals getting at it, and it is left hanging on a tree for about a month, until the flesh decomposes and there is nothing left but the bones. The whole community is then called together and is invited to honour the dead by recalling the good qualities, which the person had, and remembering the important happenings in the life of the deceased. There is always great wailing and lamenting, and the people are encouraged to grieve. The “body”, or what remains of it, is then taken down from the tree and the bones are burned in a solemn ritual. The ashes are then sprinkled on a specially prepared soup, and everyone in the community is invited to partake of it, the idea being that the qualities and good virtues of the deceased will be passed on to the family and will remain in the community.

Sr Padraigín Mc Kenna, OP