One of the many complaints funeral professionals had about the TLC special ‘Best Funeral Ever‘ was the part of the show when they showed Golden Gate Funeral Home having a class to fine tune their ‘mourning’ skills (a.k.a. ‘professional mourners‘).
I have come to learn that ‘professionals mourners’ are actually a historical practice and still practiced in some cultures.
Wikipedia gave this definition of ‘professional mourners’:
Professional mourning or paid mourning is a mostly historical occupation practiced in Mediterranean and Near Eastern cultures and many other parts of the world. Professional mourners, also called moirologists,[1] are compensated to lament or deliver a eulogy. Mentioned in the Bible, the occupation is widely invoked in literature, from the Ugaritic epics of early centuries BC to modern poetry. Held in high esteem in some cultures and times, the practice was vilified in others.
Many funeral professionals and consumers that watched ‘Best Funeral Ever‘ found the professional mourners to be tasteless and tacky. But in my researching I found that ‘professional mourners’ are not only still used but are also available for rent!
If you ever find yourself in the UK conducting a funeral service and need a few people to kickstart the crying there is a company called ‘Rent a Mourner‘ that is set up to give you what you need.
Here is how they describe their services:
RENT A MOURNER SPECIALISE IN SUPPLYING PERSONNEL FOR EVENTS WHERE YOU NEED TO SWELL VISITOR NUMBERS. Whether you need to introduce new faces, increase perceived popularity or simply increase numbers we are here to help! We can arrange personal meetings or telephone conferences with you to establish exactly what you require and exactly how to deliver it to you.
We are available for both Church or Crematorium gatherings. We can also pay our respects at the following wakes. We will take your guidance on how you would like us to integrate and mix with your other guests. We will remain discreet and professional at all times. We will also strongly adhere to dress codes and are always prompt and on time.
It seems as though ‘professional mourners’ are a real thing.
In Judaism, at least ten men (more progressive streams of Judaism allow for women as well) must be present at burial in order to recite Kaddish, the traditional prayer to God at a time of mourning. For those who have few friends and little or no family, it is considered an honor to participate in this ritual so that the deceased’s remaining family, if any, are able to recite this prayer as part of our mourning and bereavement process.
Some who do happen to fulfill other duties for the Jewish Burial Societies (Chevra Kadisha) and receive stipends for those duties. Others come from a group of dedicated volunteers. When your community asks to help bury a survivor of the Holocaust, who simply has nobody to mourn for them, we show up. We ritually cleanse and prepare the body for internment, we carry the casket to the grave, we lower it in, we hand-shovel fill the grave.
Short of saving a life, there is no greater moral deed one can perform. We do it without expectation of anything in return.