The Victorians were a surprisingly emotional lot and when it came to death they liked to go to town with elaborate mourning rituals and fancy tombstones, like those left to us in Highgate Cemetery. Since it is Halloween I thought you might like to know about one custom you may not have heard of – the making of mourning family hair wreaths.
When a family member died some of their hair was collected in a hair ‘receiver’.
When enough hair was collected it was fashioned into intricate decorative elements
including flowers.
Then these elements were put together to create a whole wreath which could be relatively simple,
or, fantastically complex.
We find this sort of thing a bit spooky but it could be fun to do something similar with our living relatives. If you’re having a family spook night today why not suggest it – I would love to know what reaction you get!
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