There were many professions in Russia, some of them have sunk into the past, and some have survived to this day. Such a turnover is easily explained by the necessity of this or that craft. But what about the mourners?
This profession was one of the most respected, because the most important events did not go without representatives of this craft. Girls were given in marriage, guys were taken into soldiers and any person was escorted to the next world solely under the lamentations of mourners.
If someone thinks that making money in this way was easy enough, then he is in the extreme degree of delusion. It turns out that girls were taught special lamentations from early childhood. It was necessary to memorize not only a special speech, but also to develop intonation. After all, one of the tasks of women in this profession was that with her speeches she had to reach out to the heart and soul of the bride. And only when the touched girl began to cry was it considered that the mourner's mission was completed. But in order to do this, at times it was required, and in fact, rather sad speeches. But to achieve the goal, any means are good.
The tradition of attracting wailing women to important events has been passed down from generation to generation and persisted for a long time. So why was she really needed?
Contrary to popular belief, mourners could not only shed tears, but also perform Russian folk songs with relatives, since they knew folklore well.
Professional mourners lamented at weddings and funerals, but they could also scratch their cheeks and beat their breasts. Why were such sacrifices necessary? What a wild demonstration?
This was all done in order to draw the attention of local residents to a joyful or tragic event. And to be fair, it's worth noting that it really worked and attracted people.
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The second point was what modern psychologists can appreciate, who argue that a person should go through any loss and cry over so as not to keep the pain in himself. It was with their speeches that the moaning women introduced a person to such a state where he simply could not hold back his tears. But then he could let go of the problem. It turns out that the mourners found themselves with a person in grief and in joy.
Due to the fact that the carriers of this profession often had to attend weddings and funerals, they knew all the traditions well and could give important advice in a timely manner. And in those days it was very important to observe all the rituals without breaking them. Perhaps that is why the presence of mourners was considered honorable, and the absence, on the contrary, was a shame for the family.
In some countries, it is still possible to hire a specially trained mourner, but not necessarily a female one. It is probably not so easy to get into this profession, since acting talent is an important requirement. After all, it is better to vote than relatives, so that it looks natural, natural and dramatic, you still need to be able to.
There is a touching legend that reveals where the name of the profession came from. This is the myth of La Llorona, which is quite popular in Latin America. He tells the story of a young woman who killed her children and is now doomed to constantly mourn them.
This same La Llorona is known for seducing no man and has a connection with the other world. She is sung in folk songs, where she appears either as a written beauty or, on the contrary, as a terrible one, but in the first and second cases it is impossible to evade her spell.
But back to the profession. It turns out that despite the fact that the activities of mourners can be called harmless, the church treated them condemningly. For example, there was a law that not only forbade scratching the cheeks, but also making long touching speeches, crying and wailing. John Chrysostom did not approve of the representatives of this profession.
It can be assumed that such an attitude is explained by the fact that death is a natural process for a person. The Creator bequeathed to people to return to the land from which they were created. And such hysterical groaning could be regarded as a protest against the deeds and plans of God himself. But believers had to humbly accept his will. But this is only a guess. Perhaps there are other versions.
But despite this attitude, mourners continued to be invited to funerals and weddings. And while there was demand, there was supply. And that means that the profession remained in demand.
It is possible that now there would be a need to revive it in order to shake the stale hearts of the modern generation. It is not for nothing that they say that the new is the well-forgotten old.
