"...look into all things with a searching eye” - Baha'u'llah (Prophet Founder of the Baha'i Faith)

Pages

Feb 1, 2013

The reason mourners wear black clothes in the Western world

In ancient times, it was believed that the spirits of the dead could repossess the bodies of the living. So, to disguise themselves from evil spirits, mourners painted their bodies black. Later societies translated this custom into wearing black clothes and veils. (The Book of Answers, by Barbara Berliner)