Folk-lore from the Dominican republic / by Manuel J. Andrade.

418

Memoirs of the American Folk-Lore Society

but whatever else is said depends on the individual. Some make a
long harangue, others scold, others are contented with a repetition
of the ritual sentence. Often all the exhorters stand around the
bed and address the patient at the same time, each one in his own
manner.
This custom is reported to be limited to the rural districts of the
least accessible parts of the island. I heard of it only along the
Haitian frontier, but I was told that it used to be prevalent all
over the republic. It is viewed with disfavor even by many farmers
of remote localities. The main objection being that many old
women manage to keep the patient in bed as long as his food supply
lasts. In the neighborhood of Dajabon I talked to an elderly lady
who was rescued by her grandson from a malicious siege of this
nature. The sophisticated young man refused to send any more
goats from his farm and thereby made his grandmother's worldly
attachment uninteresting to her attendants.
Certain acts take place as soon as the person is pronounced
dead. All the receptacles that contain water must be emptied at
once, for the ghost bathes in every vessel in the house, be it so
small as a drinking calabash. It is "bad" to use such water.
The front door of the house is immediately locked or blocked,
and remains shut for nine days. The house must be entered by the
back door, for which it is necessary in some cases to tear down the
fence.
All the mirrors are turned to the wall or are covered, for they
reflect the image of the dead person's ghost, and any one seeing it
will become insane.
The news of the death must be spread throughout the community, and, as the report reaches each home, the major activities
of the farm are suspended and most of them go at once to the
house of the deceased.
An expert is immediately appointed by a compadre or a friend
to provide for the comfort of the mourners and condolers. A calf or
a pig or two are killed. The food is supplied by the estate of the
deceased, but the necessary service is voluntarily rendered by the
neighbors.
The family of the deceased and his parents and brothers and
sisters crowd into one room, and remain there till the funeral takes
place.
As soon as the coffin comes, the corpse is placed in it with his
feet toward the front of the house. Four candles are kept burning
by the side of the coffin: two at the head and two at the feet. If
the person dies at the home of another, his corpse must not be
placed in a bedroom during the wake, for if it is so placed all the
members of that family may die.
The relatives of the deceased must give conspicuous evidence of
their grief, lest they be accused of being insensible (que no siente).