Mourning is, in the simplest sense, synonymous with grief over the death of someone. The word is also used to describe a cultural complex of behaviours in which the bereaved participate or are expected to participate. Customs vary between different cultures and evolve over time, though many core behaviors remain constant.
Wearing black clothes is one practice followed in many countries, though other forms of dress are also seen. Those most affected by the loss of a loved one often observe a period of grieving, marked by withdrawal from social events and quiet, respectful behavior. People may also follow certain religious traditions for such occasions.
Mourning may also apply to the death of, or anniversary of the death of, an important individual like a local leader, monarch, religious figure etc. State mourning may occur on such an occasion. In recent years some traditions have given way to less strict practices, though many customs and traditions continue to be followed.
Read more about Mourning: State and Official Mourning
Other articles related to "mourning":
... using it to select Georgetown center Alonzo Mourning ... the Hornets upset the Boston Celtics in the first round, with Mourning winning the series with a 20-footer in game four ... Despite injuries to both Johnson and Mourning, the two led the team in points-per-game ...
... The mourning of a loved one usually involves elaborate practices, and commonly occurs in this sequence A public notification of grief through wailing, the wearing of white mortuary clothes by the ... The intensity of the mourning reflects the kind of relationship one had with the deceased ... the death of a parent would commonly mean a three-year mourning period for their child ...
... Judaism looks upon mourning as a process by which the stricken can re-enter into society, and so provides a series of customs that make this process gradual ... In some special cases there are more extended periods of mourning which can last three months and even one year ... stage is Shiva, which is a Jewish mourning practice in which people adjust their behaviour as an expression of their bereavement for the week immediately after the burial ...
... then the day of the funeral is counted as the first of the seven days of mourning ... Mourning generally concludes in the morning of the seventh day ... No mourning may occur on Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath), nor may the burial take place on Shabbat, but the day of Shabbat does count as one of the seven days ...
... Mourning Has Broken is the third and final full-length album by the British thrash metal band, Sabbat, and the band's only album following the departure of singer and ... magazine in 2006, Andy Sneap stated "(emphatically) "I don't listen to this (Mourning Has Broken) ...
Famous quotes containing the word mourning:
“here at midnight, in our little town
A mourning figure walks, and will not rest,
Near the old court-house pacing up and down,”
—Vachel Lindsay (1879–1931)
“Middle age went by while I was mourning for my lost youth.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)
“Melancholy is at the bottom of everything, just as at the end of all rivers is the sea. Can it be otherwise in a world where nothing lasts, where all that we have loved or shall love must die? Is death, then, the secret of life? The gloom of an eternal mourning enwraps, more or less closely, every serious and thoughtful soul, as night enwraps the universe.”
—Henri-Frédéric Amiel (1821–1881)