GATLING@SUVM (Keith E Gatling) (02/12/90)
Just thought you all would be interested in this.
Cheryl and I get this newsletter from the Thomas More Association
Book Club which explains various things about Catholic practice
and traditions. In the most recent issue it talks about death and
burial practices.
You know all the wild stories you hear about Irish (and other
ethnic Catholic type) wakes? Like about propping the corpse up so
that it should enjoy the party, etc. Well there was a very pract-
ical reason for all that. Often times they weren't sure that the
person was really dead. They figured that if the person was still
alive, a wild party (especially with all the noise) would wake them
up (maybe that's why it was called a "wake"). And guess what...
sometimes it did!
keg