In Puerto Rico, it is a custom to walk the deceased to their final resting place. Death and the passage into afterlife are commonly marked by vigils, or wakes, and novenas, which are days of prayer for the dead. During the vigils, which occur between death and burial, the close friends and relatives of the dead gather around the body, which lies in state, and pray for the souls passage into heaven. Throughout the night of the vigil, people who knew the deceased come and go while a small group of women and men who were particularly close to the dead say the rosary. Candles burn, and the prayers last until dawn of the day the person is to be buried. Following the funeral, the novenas begin. These nine consecutive days of prayer take place in the house of the deceased and constitute a means by which Gods favor is solicited on behalf of the deceaseds surviving kin and friends, as well as a means of reaffirming ties among households and community solidarity.
Posted on: Thu, 01 May 2014 00:34:22 +0000
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