The late William Belding

Asa Knight Country Store Photo by L.Valentin

This past Saturday after working at the Asa Knight Store I went to the Fitch house to be part of a village funeral. I do want to mention that working at the store is always fun and full of learning opportunities, I actually learned that the imported rum at the store also came from Puerto Rico and not just the West Indies, its so cool I just kept finding more Puerto Rican connections to the village. Well back to the funeral, the rum story will have to wait for another blog.

The Fitch house was hosting a funeral reenactment for all the OSV visitors. I was asked to play the part of one of the pall bearers carrying the late William Belding to the Meeting House. This ceremony would demonstrate the traditions that villagers would follow to honor and mourn their beloved deceased. The deceased would be in their coffin at their home, where all the pictures and looking glass on the walls would be covered. This ensures that those paying their respects would focus on the deceased and also contemplate their own lives and how life can be so short. The covering would avoid people from looking at themselves or admiring the art versus having a moment of personal reflection.

As I was standing at the kitchen waiting to begin my services as a pall bearer the wonderful aroma of butter rolls took over the Fitch House and I just had to grab a butter roll and taste it. Delicious! I learned that funeral traditions like inviting everyone in the village to be part of the funeral and then offering food afterwards would vary from a full meal with alcohol to a lighter meal and no alcohol. Try feeding your entire neighborhood plus open bar, it can get pricey quick!

The deceased would then be taken outside of their home and someone like a clergy man would welcome everyone to the ceremony. The coffin would be place on the bier and covered with a black cloth by the Pall Bearers who would also wear a black band around their arms. If a child passed away they would use a white cloth instead as a symbol of purity. The widow would wear black and a vail. The villagers would be invited to walk to a meeting place and usually have a priest talk about the deceased. If a man was the deceased, the men would follow the pall bearers and then the women and children, if a woman was the deceased then the women first follow by the men.

In the middle of the reenactment I have an OSV moment…. All the interpreters working at the village with their different backgrounds, interests and individualities come together for one simple reason, the love and passion they all share for the spirit of the lives of those portrayed here. This bond that automatically kicks in even if you just met the interpreter you are working with takes over. The knowledge, respect, integrity and love for interpreting this period becomes the common language resulting in the perfect historical experience to our visitors.

We had a pretty good crowd during the ceremony, as we began the procession towards the Meeting House. I could see flashes and shiny reflections from all the camera lenses clicking away documenting this moment in time. My mind began to wonder as I was carrying a ¼ of the casket’s weight, thinking about life and how cool is to be playing the role of an interpreter here at the village. Now I understood why they would covered the art work and looking glass at their home during the wake. It’s a time not only to pay respect but to self-reflect. Now, this would be the perfect if this was the funeral that offered alcohol with a full meal.

Next week we will be doing the funeral reenactment again, so stay tuned for more funeral experiences at OSV!

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