Professional mourning

Professional mourners, also called moirologists[1] and mutes, are compensated to lament or deliver a eulogy and help comfort and entertain the grieving family.

Mentioned in the Bible[2] and other religious texts, the occupation is widely invoked and explored in literature, from the Ugaritic epics of early centuries BC[3] to modern poetry.

Men were deemed unfit for this because they were supposed to be strong and leaders of the family, unwilling to show any sort of raw emotion like grief, which is why women were professional mourners.

[4] Also, in a world full of jobs solely made for men, it gave women a sense of pride that they were actually able to earn money in some way.

[5] In ancient Egypt, the mourners would be making an ostentatious display of grief which included tearing at dishevelled hair, loud wailing, beating of exposed breasts, and smearing the body with dirt.

[5] There are also rules for impersonation of these two goddesses, for example the portrayer's body had to be shaved completely, they had to be childless, and they had to have the names of Isis or Nephthys tattooed on their shoulders for identification.

Scholar Jeehee Hong describes one such scene: "they...set up wooden figures of Xiang Yu and Liu Bang participating in the banquet at Goose Gate.

The main funerary ritual had taken place at the house of the deceased, and now the mourners were walking in the funeral procession, along with a troupe of performers.

For example: Each scene—the preparation of food, the groom with a horse, and the entertainment – is unfailingly reminiscent of classical representations that adorn many tomb walls or coffin surfaces created since the Han period...these motifs are generally understood by students of Chinese funerary art as a banquet for the deceased...it is clear they represent the deceased couple because of the motif's strong connection to traditional representations of performances prepared for tomb occupants[10]Female professional mourners, called rudaali, are common in many parts of India, especially in the Western Indian state of Rajasthan.

For public mournings that travelled through the streets of a city, hired mourners would often trail behind wailing to alert the town of a death.

(2 Chronicles 35:25).When someone of power dies, in this case Josiah, everyone can fill the role of mourner, professionals aren't needed because everyone feels the weight of the loss.

“Let them make haste and take up a wailing for us, That our eyes may shed tears and our eyelids flow with water" (Jeremiah 9: 17–18).These three quotes from the Bible are just three of many that pertain to professional mourning.

[16] A common ritual in China involves the family paying the mourners in advance and bringing them in lavish style to the location where the funeral will take place.

We’re so sorry we could not keep you here"[citation needed] Then the family is told to bow in front of the casket three times, and suddenly a belly dancer takes the so called "stage" and the song picks up, lights start flashing, and everyone is upbeat again.

[17] In the United Kingdom, a company called "Rent A Mourner" (now defunct[18]) enabled families to increase the number of guests at a funeral by hiring actors to play a role, for example, a distant cousin or uncle.