Irish funerals

[netibiza]

In the film Angela's Ashes, when the baby boy was on his way to the cemetery, bystanders threw water under the horses hooves - why?

[chinadog]

Maybe to help stop the horses from slipping? It was winter as I recall netibiza.

[netibiza]

Yes, that's a thought!

[China Doll]

It's holy water I think Neti. Still done from hirst to grave in Irish catholic funerals I think, (can't remember the last catholic funeral I went to over here to rememberif it's a general catholic thing).

[netibiza]

But China it was bucketloads in the film - surely the normal poor type person in the 30's wouldn't have buckets of holy water. It's just one of those things I find fascinating.
Are you also Chinadog? Cos yes it's winter and permanently wet there, and I'd have thought that wet cobbles would have made the horses slip. Oh what a conundrum!

[China Doll]

Erm chinadog? Do you want to take this outside Neti?! (Sorry china dog) ;0)

No, I'm not chinadog, just another user.

I asked my dad as he's from northern Ireland and raised a catholic and he says that people would chuck holy water in front of a funeral procession, there's normally priests up front to. But that I haven't seen Angela's Ashes so it could be taht there's a symbolic thing going that I've no idea of!

[Ethel]

Holy water keeps the demons away that are hovering around a body.

:)

[netibiza]

By 'eck Ethel you are popping up all over the site :-)

Thanks all for your replies, it makes sense now.

[chinadog]

Hi, I named myself Chinadog as I have a pair of china dogs on my mantle shelf. Maybe I should have put an extra S on the end sorry for the confusion.

[Ethel]

Are they Staffordshire china dogs?

:)

[chinadog]

Not the real thing Ethel. We bought them in Chesire,would you believe they're made in Berkshire? Pardon the pun.

[Octavius]

If this was the child, it may be that he was not yet baptised, so the water was (some voodoo!) protection against the child going into limbo or pergatory.

Or, many old beliefs surround the fact that a newly dead person has a thirst and this might also be attributable to the practice.

Is this d�j� vu neti? Haven't you asked this before?

[netibiza]

Yes, i did, but didn't receive a reply.

[Octavius]

Aw, thats not nice. :o)

I think its just guesswork and speculation. No clues in the book?

[China Doll]

I'm such a dick!

I have read this Neti and it's just taken me a kick up the proverbial while looking at symbolism in the book to remember... Water in the book is used initally as a sign of disease and misery in the book but ultimately also as a way out to freedom. So perhaps it's a bit of creative licence as well as a play on the holy water thing my dad said they do? Just a thought.

[netibiza]

Confusing isn't it, but that's probably the right meaning. I'll have to read through the book again to be sure. Thanks everyone! x

[netibiza]

Right have finally found the answer. Watched the Director's commentary on the film and it says that the water originally used to wash the dead body was then thrown in front of the funeral carriage and so neighbours took this up and threw water. That's the explanation!

[China Doll]

Ah! Thank goodness for that... no more searches on symbolism in irish literature for me tonight!

[Octavius]

Probably more likely to have found stuff on Irish superstitions, but then how many years have you got!

Thanks for the update Neti, mkaes sense now, many old cultures held superstitions about what to do with the water used to wash the dead.

Some (I think in Eastern Europe) would ingest it as a cure for various ailments. Nice. Slinging it on the ground would seem preferable to that.

[netibiza]

I never realised that one dvd could hold so many treasures after watching the film, there were interviews with cast and crew and , of course, the director Alan Parker, talking all through it and explaining everything. Wish I'd known before. Thanks to you all for trying to enlighten me!! (Silly old biddy!!)