The Funeral Customs in the Folk Traditions of Greece and the Territory of the Republic of Macedonia

This paper explores the parallel interpretation of the funerals, the folk beliefs and the symbolic understandings of funeral customs in the Greek and the folk tradition in the territory of the Republic of Macedonia. Most of the Greek funeral customs, as well as those in the Macedonian folk tradition, can be connected with those that were practiced in other people and in other times. Although impression is gained that the ancient funeral customs have been forgotten, they have lived their development thus as they could, with the aim to satisfy the living and to give expression of human grief, pain, enthusiasm and even hope. In the Greek and Macedonian folk traditions, old beliefs and rites are present today as well in these areas. In some places they have been altered as a result of the contemporary views, and in some rural areas are almost identical as in the time when they first appeared. The aim is to show the similarities and differences within the scope of the funeral and magical - ritual actions between these two folk traditions that begin immediately after the death of a loved one and continue until the funeral. This paper will also offer a comparative analysis of the funeral customs between the Greek and the Macedonian folk tradition by observing the rudiments of the funeral customs that were practiced in the past. In certain cases they have been altered as a result of modern views, and in some rural areas they have remained unchanged