Veiling for Passiontide

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Not just for women either - men do it too.

Veiling for Passiontide: A sort of Catholic 'shiva'. It seems to me there may be similarities to the venerable Jewish custom of veiling the mirrors in the 'house of mourning'. It is called 'shiva' - mourners sit shiva - a sort of seven day wake in the house of the deceased.

"Shiva is a week that is given over to mourning the deceased. We do not work during that week; we do not indulge in luxuries. We reflect on the merits and deeds of the person who died. What we are mourning is not the externalities of the person, the way the person looked, the way the person dressed but the essential person. We miss the distinct personality characteristics of this person, how he/she acted and how he/she related to us. We recall the special qualities that the deceased had and of our relationship with him/her. When we sit shiva we try to concentrate on the inner person who is no longer with us not on the external appearance of the deceased." - Nachum Mohl

Of course the veiling during Passiontide is not a wake, per se, but there is a bit of a parallel one might discuss at your parish soup supper tonight.  What?

Shiva - Hebrew for seven - seven days.

Joseph mourned the death of his father, Jacob for seven days.

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