Anyone, when dying, leaves behind personal belongings and clothes. Then his relatives face the question of what to do with these things. Over time, unspoken superstitious principles have emerged that are often critical.
Can the deceased's belongings be worn?
Many people independently determine for themselves the degree of influence of certain objects and things of their deceased relatives. It all depends solely on the psychological characteristics of a person, his personal beliefs and his relationship to his past.
For example, spiritually down-to-earth people can relate to the things of the deceased quite calmly, which will allow them to throw them away without a twinge of conscience or happily carry them on themselves. This is more characteristic of complete optimists.
According to clergyman Andrei Lorgus, the robes of the deceased can and should be worn. In addition, Father Andrei believes that among Orthodox Christians in general there is a custom to hand out the things of the deceased in the so-called commemoration of his soul.
Those who feel through the things of the deceased the continuity of generations and the connection of times or eras will not want to get rid of them at all, but they will not risk putting them on either. For such people, these things will rather be a kind of psychological support than items of personal wardrobe.
For the third group of persons, the things of the deceased relative, on the contrary, will be a burden, since they will endlessly remind of him. Eventually, it will make you want to get rid of them.
Man and prejudice
As they say, how many people have so many opinions. Everyone sees something different in this. Nevertheless, regardless of a person's beliefs, in this situation there are some, if one may say so, barely visible principles.
Behind the scenes it is believed that such things can be worn, but on one condition: if they did not die in them. Since people cannot leave for another world in all their clothes at the same time, this situation is greatly simplified. According to this superstition, one should burn exactly the clothes in which the deceased, while still alive, met the last day of his life.
Another priest, Archpriest Alexander Ilyashenko, believes that there is no need to doubt whether to wear the clothes of the deceased or not. The priest calls not to succumb to superstitions and pray that the soul of the deceased will rest.
Those who are going to get rid of all the things of the deceased, regardless of superstition, should do it as delicately as possible, so as not to offend their owner. This means you don't just have to throw your clothes in a landfill. You shouldn't even bury it in the ground. You just have to burn your clothes.
Some people prefer to get rid of all the garments of a deceased relative, giving them to the church. And there is nothing wrong with that. You can also distribute things to people who need them.
