The death of a loved one, friend or relative, is devastating, driving you into a corner and taking away your ability to think straight. There is a huge amount of work involved in organizing funerals, wakes and other mournful moments. Cleaning the apartment after death is an important part of mourning events. Skeptics and the church have their own opinions on this issue. There are also signs, the appearance of which is not known for certain. Although there are people who prefer to follow all the instructions. There are no books or exact answers on this topic, only the opinions of those who have already experienced terrible moments.
Why wash the floors after a dead person?
If we try to answer this question unambiguously, then the essence of cleaning after the deceased is to “wash away” the traces of his presence. The original traditions have undergone major changes. For a long time, the floors were not washed, but the threshold of the house was sprinkled with water and an iron nail was driven in there. The same thing was repeated throughout the entire journey to the burial place of the deceased - all entrances, gates, forks were sprayed with water, and iron nails were driven in there.
Attention! Water and iron serve as powerful protection against negativity.
Further traditions were simplified. Among some peoples of the world the following was practiced. During the funeral procession, after the people carrying the coffin, others walked with a broom or broom. They scattered the tracks so that the deceased could not later find his way home using them.
The “desire” to return, as esotericists explain, arises due to a strong emotional attachment between the deceased and his relatives, whom he does not want to leave. However, an attempt to return the deceased spirit promises major troubles for the family - there is a high probability that members of the household will begin to die.
Is it necessary to wash the floors after a deceased person?
If you listen to the explanation of the reasons for washing the floors after the deceased, it is clear that this must be done. However, there is a story from an eyewitness who neglected the ritual because the deceased was not at home and the coffin was not brought there. The fact is that the man died in the hospital, and from there he was immediately taken to the cemetery. But a few days later, things began to happen in the eyewitness’s house for which it is difficult to find a logical explanation. As a result, the deceased appeared in a person’s dream. Sitting on the sofa, the deceased insisted that he could not step on the floor - it was dirty. After such a dream, the superstitious person thoroughly washed the entire apartment, right down to the walls, then all inexplicable activity ended, moreover, the eyewitness noted that the house became better, a feeling of peace arose.
Thus, it can be assumed that the personal preferences of the deceased, a kind of unfinished business, were at work. It turns out that the floors need to be washed after the deceased in any case and in any situation - in order to protect the household or to show the deceased that he does not need to worry about anything.
Washing the floors - making the path of the deceased to the other world more serene
Receive compensation for a funeral or burial benefit
For every citizen of our country, a state funeral benefit is allocated. In January 2022, its amount is 6,424.98 rubles, not including additional local payments, the amount of which may vary depending on the region. For example, in Moscow such benefits are paid in the amount of 19,049 rubles 98 kopecks. This figure includes a fixed benefit and the Moscow supplement (12,625 rubles).
There is also a circle of people who are entitled to federal or local benefits, various allowances and compensation, for example, for perpetuating memory. These include:
- veterans of the Second World War and other military operations;
- persons nominated for state awards;
- employees of government ministries and departments (Ministry of Internal Affairs, State Defense, Ministry of Emergency Situations, FSB, State Customs Committee, etc.)
- disabled people.
If relatives want to receive benefits or compensation, you need to remember several important rules:
- the benefit is paid to the person responsible for conducting the funeral;
- compensation can only be claimed if the relatives conducted the funeral at their own expense;
- the period allotted for receiving payments is 6 months from the date of death;
- You can receive payments from territorial pension authorities, as well as from military registration and enlistment offices (depending on the affiliation of the deceased).
How to wash the floor after removing a dead person
Before you start cleaning, you need to remove everything related to the funeral, the coffin, and the belongings of the deceased outside the house. After the deceased, the floors are washed from the threshold to the room where the coffin was located. Be sure to cover mirrors, reflective surfaces - TV, sideboards, cabinets with glass doors with black fabric. You need to wash from the walls, corners to the middle, gradually moving towards the room where the deceased was.
Children, pregnant women and the elderly should be removed from the house during cleaning as they may be susceptible to what is happening.
Salted water is used to neutralize possible negativity. Detergents are not necessary, unless the deceased was at home for a long time (decomposition began) or he was suffering from an infectious disease.
Many people agree that water can be drained into the bathroom, reinforcing this with the assumption that flowing water will go far from the house. However, this opinion is erroneous, since everything needs to be taken out of the door and poured into the street. After cleaning, a person is advised to leave the house for a while.
Improvement of the grave
In order for the grave to become a worthy refuge for a loved one, it is necessary to remember the following aspects of the improvement of the grave:
- Installation of a wooden cross. Carried out after the funeral for a minimum period of a year - until the earth shrinks. A year later, the wooden cross is replaced with a metal one or a monument.
- Installation of a monument or tombstone. Possible a year after the funeral, but you can order a grave structure in advance.
- General improvement. Includes strengthening the grave and monument, decorating the border and planting plants. Carried out seasonally.
When to wash floors after a person's death
According to Orthodox customs, the deceased is buried only on the third day. It is believed that a person’s soul remains among the living for another 3 days, after which it is escorted to the afterlife until the 9th day.
Attention! For the period while the deceased is within the walls of the house, the apartment cannot be cleaned.
But as soon as the dead man was taken out, a funeral procession passed, burial - there was no point in postponing. First, people will take care of themselves by keeping their hands busy with useful activities. Secondly, after cleaning it becomes calmer, which is regularly confirmed by eyewitnesses.
Duel with forks and knives
Cutlery - a fork, is considered the devil's tail, which can destroy the soul of the deceased, so it is not advisable to use this demonic device, like a knife.
Kutia is an obligatory funeral dish, but if you eat it with a knife and fork, you can disturb the soul of the deceased, and it will not go to heaven.
What does Orthodoxy think?
The knife and fork were introduced into circulation by the reformer Tsar Peter I, which the Old Believers and other religious denominations fought against, considering it a devilish plant.
According to another version, sharp objects began to be removed from the table when, after the death of a person of the merchant class, a real stabbing of arriving relatives took place at the funeral due to the division of the property of the deceased.
During the Soviet period, the absence of forks, and even more so knives, on the funeral table was explained by the desire of some funeral participants to take home an item suitable for household use.
Failure to comply with the rules of Christian morality and the use of customs invented by man is not prohibited by the Orthodox Church, but is not encouraged either.
Who should clean the floor after a dead person?
A certain friend of the family should wash the floors after the deceased in the house. Or anyone else who is not a blood relative of the deceased.
Pregnant women should not be involved in this process. Maybe not all, but many expectant mothers become more impressionable and sentimental due to hormonal changes, so it is worth taking care of them from a psychological point of view. Esotericists completely prohibit entrusting cleaning after the deceased to a pregnant woman. It is believed that this will negatively affect the unborn baby and complicate the birth process.
A pregnant woman should not be forced to wash the floors
Attention! You cannot hire professional cleaners or contact a cleaning company.
Still, it is necessary that the person knows the deceased and has respect for him, so preference is given to family friends or good neighbors, according to their wishes, of course.
Why shouldn't relatives wash the floor after a deceased person?
Close people, but not blood relatives, need to wash the floors after a deceased person in an apartment. This is considered a bad omen because, usually, relatives are strongly attached to the person they suddenly lost. They grieve, their thoughts are filled with sadness, so it is they who will unconsciously tie the deceased soul more closely to themselves, not wanting to let it go on its final journey.
Landmark: spruce branches
On the road to the cemetery, fir branches are scattered ahead of the procession. On the one hand, they show the deceased the path to the grave, on the other hand, they absorb the negative energy released by the deceased. Perhaps, if the rule is violated, all participants will face an inevitable fatal illness.
Explanation of what is happening
Some scatter fir branches, while others scatter carnations or tulips.
But flowers do not serve to absorb negative energy, being a symbol of respect, but this does not mean that everyone will immediately get sick and die in agony. Tradition does not contradict the canons of the church, if people think so, let them strew the road with fir branches, paying their last tribute to the deceased.
What awaits a person after death: the views of 4 religions
Personal protection rules
Modern approaches make some rituals easier. Floors are washed using rubber gloves. Water absorbs not only possible pollution and dust, but also negativity, fears, and despair experienced by a person on the verge of death and his loved ones. Such water should not be allowed to fall on a person after cleaning. Of course, he can wash it off with a thorough shower, but as noted, regular rubber gloves will make the job easier.
Windows should be opened during and after cleaning. This is beneficial energetically, and is also recommended for medical purposes, since ventilation is one of the best ways to disinfect rooms.
Is it possible to make repairs
Repairs can be made after a funeral, but only after 40 days have passed after death. The soul of the deceased visits from time to time to see how loved ones live. She would like to see a familiar environment; changes can anger the spirit.
After 40 days, at a minimum, you will have to replace the bed on which the deceased slept, as well as the bed (sofa, floor or staircase covering, chair, etc.) that became the deathbed. The bed of a dead person cannot be used by his bloodline. It can be given away or sold. There is no need to install a new bed; use the freed up space as you see fit.
The place of death will continue to exude necrotic energy for several years. Therefore, it is necessary to replace everything that came into contact with the dying person, be it the floor covering where he fell, or furniture and bedding. As a rule, such things are thrown away or burned. In the villages they do it a little differently - they take it to the chicken coop for three so that the rooster “sinks away all the negativity.”
The personal belongings of the deceased are usually distributed to the poor or sold. This doesn't just apply to clothes. Your favorite cup or plate, ashtray, anti-stress toy - you shouldn’t keep it all. Although many leave it in memory of the deceased.
Church opinion
The clergy support the process of cleaning the floors after removing the deceased. They also note the following - if wet cleaning cannot be started right away, you still need to sweep the floor, albeit hastily, most importantly, with the thought that the path of the deceased will be calm.
Attention! Even if the deceased was an atheist, the floors are still washed after him, this will help loved ones ease the bitterness of loss.
After the deceased, people of any religion and nationality, including atheists, wash the floors
If there was cremation
If a loved one was cremated, you dispose of their ashes in accordance with your decision or the wishes of the deceased. There are many options for how to deal with ashes: from the traditional burial of an urn with ashes in a grave or in a niche in a columbarium to scattering it in a memorial place or sending it into low-Earth orbit. You can separate the ashes and bury them in different graves, for example in your family's place of residence and in your hometown.
It is important to remember: after cremation, the urn with ashes is stored in the crematorium until claimed by its relatives for 1 year. If the ashes are not claimed, the urn will be buried in a common grave at the crematorium. The ashes are stored free of charge for up to 40 days, after which the crematorium begins to charge a storage fee.
What to do with the icon from the coffin
A pressing question for many people is what to do with the icon that was placed in the coffin. Orthodoxy allows it to be buried with the deceased, but if it is preserved after burial, there are several options for resolving this issue:
- leave it in the church where the funeral service took place, or take it to the church in honor of the saint depicted on the icon;
- leave in the church for 40 days, during which the soul ascends to heaven, and then take home;
- keep it at home (you can place it in the common iconostasis, and on memorial days, place it separately and light a candle).
