turning the TV off after someone dies

Snake

Never got this. It's supposed to be a mark of respect for the deceased. But I don't understand how. Never did bother doing it myself, do any of you do it? No one's died that I know, just curious.

artanevilla

If anytime a thread needed more context....

efb

I remember when someone close to me died, I had to turn off the tv cos I just couldn't watch it. Life had stopped for me, I needed a break away from it

Larianne

Someone on tv or in real life?

wazky

I don't usually turn it off unless they have collapsed straight in front of it, fierce distracting having a corpse in your view of the TV.

caustic 1

Now turning off the tv I can get, I mean someone in the house just died, what you might miss the Kardasians? Stopping all the clocks and covering mirrors confuse me.

Buzz Killington the third

I don't turn it off unless my electricity dies!

Birroc

GrayFox208 wrote: »

Never got this. It's supposed to be a mark of respect for the deceased. But I don't understand how. Never did bother doing it myself, do any of you do it? No one's died that I know, just curious.

I turned it off when they shot JR.

sam34

My grandmother, who lived with us, made us do this any time there was a death in the immediate family. TV and radio turned off and mirrors covered until the burial had taken place. The thinking behind it was that it was not a time for frivolity or vanity.

Chet T16

Game of Thrones had me turning the tv off in a fit of rage after a few of the deaths

weisses

artanevilla wrote: »

If anytime a thread needed more context....

I am still in the first half hour of saving private ryan

wazky

sam34 wrote: »

My grandmother, who lived with us, made us do this any time there was a death in the immediate family. TV and radio turned off and mirrors covered until the burial had taken place. The thinking behind it was that it was not a time for frivolity or vanity.

I'd say ye were delighted when she popped her clogs so?

Un Croissant

What do we turn off the day the music dies?

efb

Stopped clocks and coving mirrors I found eerie

Welruc

Never heard of this, surely someone close to you dies your not worried about missing corrie.

How long is it before your supposed to start watching again?

Harry Palmr

I tried to switch mine off when Tommy Cooper died but it turned into a pigeon instead, what was that about?!

efb

Un Croissant wrote: »

What did we turn off the day the music dies?

fyp February 3, 1959

--LOS--

never even heard of it

Tail Docker

Is this after you break down the door and shoo the cat eating their face?

Strazdas

I turned it off for a day or two after my mum died but put it back on the night before the funeral. I wasn't really watching, I think I just had the news on and something else but did actually find it quite comforting to have something normal in the background. One of my main reasons for putting it on was that I knew that is what she would want, she certainly wouldn't want a doom laden atmosphere in the house in sombre silence : her attitude would be that normal life has to go on.

sam34

deuceswild wrote: »

Never heard of this, surely someone close to you dies your not worried about missing corrie.

How long is it before your supposed to start watching again?

After the burial.

Stheno

When my father died 2.5 years ago, there was no tv in the house until after the funeral.

TBH my father had died, I had no interest in the wider world than dealing with everything that came up.

Mariasofia

My mother told me about sympathising with a widow years ago......her reply:
"What a night the fcuker picked to die.....Im missing Coronation Street over him!!!!" :-D

Riamfada

What about netflix on the old iPhone?

efb

Mariasofia wrote: »

My mother told me about sympathising with a widow years ago......her reply:
"What a night the fcuker picked to die.....Im missing Coronation Street over him!!!!" :-D

What fcuking day can a man die now? That shít seems to be on the whole time- and repeated ad naseum

Mariasofia

efb wrote: »

What fcuking day can a man die now? That shít seems to be on the whole time- and repeated ad naseum

Was on mon and wed then and the inconsiderate "fcuker" died of a wed!! :-D

Kimbot

I could see the sense in it. You get a phone call and the family would probably be sitting watching TV so as a mark of respect you switch it off and reflect on the person that has passed.

kowloon

Like that other ancient Irish tradition of leaving RIP comments on the deceased's Facebook page.

shruikan2553

Never heard of any of that. The Irish find any excuse to cover the mirrors for some reason.

Glebee

shruikan2553 wrote: »

Never heard of any of that. The Irish find any excuse to cover the mirrors for some reason.

From what i remember it was that any mirrors in a room where someone has recently died, must be covered so that the dead person's soul does not get trapped behind the glass.

P_1

sam34 wrote: »

My grandmother, who lived with us, made us do this any time there was a death in the immediate family. TV and radio turned off and mirrors covered until the burial had taken place. The thinking behind it was that it was not a time for frivolity or vanity.

Isn't that a traditionally Jewish ritual? Sitting Shavat I think it's called. I suppose it has it's merits but it strikes me as being a tad depressing.

HIB

Glebee wrote: »

From what i remember it was that any mirrors in a room where someone has recently died, must be covered so that the dead person's soul does not get trapped behind the glass.

Another reason I heard is that the soul is not supposed to 'see itself' when it leaves the body. If it did, it would become confused/frightened and might not make it to heaven! Another tradition is to open a window in the room where the person dies, to let the soul out. I also have a feeling that the stopping clocks tradition is something to do with confusing the devil .... Not sure on this though?

I actually really like all these old traditions. Obviously we're not as superstitious these days, but I'd still follow them, for traditions sake.

wretcheddomain

GrayFox208 wrote: »

Never got this. It's supposed to be a mark of respect for the deceased. But I don't understand how. Never did bother doing it myself, do any of you do it? No one's died that I know, just curious.

I concur. Nothing more morbid than a clan of old people discussing death and superstition.

The mythologies mentioned in this thread are nothing more than a crock of ****.

c_man

HIB wrote: »

Another tradition is to open a window in the room where the person dies, to let the soul out.

Yeah I've encountered this. When calling it for what it is I was told I "have no respect for the dead." The deceased in question would have been the first to say it was a load of complete **** on a sock.

Sir Arthur Daley

I turned the tv off earlier when the supervalu ad came on as a mark of respect to the death of Mr.aldi.

Banjoxed

HIB wrote: »

Another reason I heard is that the soul is not supposed to 'see itself' when it leaves the body. If it did, it would become confused/frightened and might not make it to heaven! Another tradition is to open a window in the room where the person dies, to let the soul out. I also have a feeling that the stopping clocks tradition is something to do with confusing the devil .... Not sure on this though?

I actually really like all these old traditions. Obviously we're not as superstitious these days, but I'd still follow them, for traditions sake.

I'm in Donegal and they love nothing better than all that oul ****e. Sober wakes, white bread sandwiches with the crusts off and weak tea make me boke.

donegal__road

OP, nothing as bad as being at a wake and the TV going full belt in the corner..

Sir Arthur Daley

Banjoxed wrote: »

I'm in Donegal and they love nothing better than all that oul ****e. Sober wakes, white bread sandwiches with the crusts off and weak tea make me boke.

And smoking turf in the rollies.

GT_TDI_150

When my gran passed away (lived in Belgium) my grandad closed all the shutters on the house till after the burial ...

Really odd walking into a house in the middle of the day with faint lights on and shutters closed

donegal__road

Banjoxed wrote: »

I'm in Donegal and they love nothing better than all that oul ****e. Sober wakes, white bread sandwiches with the crusts off and weak tea make me boke.

and someone saying 'thats a tight hanlin in there' as their walking away from the wake house..

Banjoxed

Sir Arthur Daley wrote: »

And smoking turf in the rollies.

Naw, not even that up here. Very much what Americans would call a "Lace curtain Irish" atmosphere breaks out up here when someone pegs it.

The Backwards Man

donegal__road wrote: »

and someone saying 'thats a tight hanlin in there' as their walking away from the wake house..

'Doesn't s/he look well in the coffin?'

They're fookin dead man.

dee_mc

donegal__road wrote: »

and someone saying 'thats a tight hanlin in there' as their walking away from the wake house..

Translation please, for the uninitiated?

HIB

Banjoxed wrote: »

I'm in Donegal and they love nothing better than all that oul ****e. Sober wakes, white bread sandwiches with the crusts off and weak tea make me boke.

Looks like I'd love it in Donegal!

Seriously though ... I actually found the whole wake thing very comforting. Got to meet people in our own home, in our own time, and chat about the person who'd died. Swapping funny stories and listening to people's memories of the person was really nice, especially people who weren't close family or friends. And, if you didn't want to talk to anyone, you could just leave and take a break from it. Funeral home thing, for me, looks like a few hours of very hard graft, especially if you're really upset. Very impersonal too. No tea, no chat! Just lines of people shaking your hand. Different strokes for different folks though I suppose. Maybe funeral homes are easier if its a really tragic or young death - I wouldn't know.

GT_TDI_150

Actually OP, depending on the circumstances of the persons passing you might want to leave the tele on ....

ie. If you just clubbed them over the back of the head, looking round the house for the remote mightent be the best use of your time. And think of the evidence you'd leave behind...

Also ... Posting hypethetical question on boards about said passing might be ill advised. I hope you didnt use their WiFi...

donegal__road

the reason it is called a 'wake' is because it is considered bad luck to leave the corpse unattended in the house, the night before the funeral. There had to be someone awake with the remains at all times.

Dont know the reason for this..

The Backwards Man

dee_mc wrote: »

Translation please, for the uninitiated?

It's wile.

sunbeam

HIB wrote: »

Looks like I'd love it in Donegal!

Seriously though ... I actually found the whole wake thing very comforting. Got to meet people in our own home, in our own time, and chat about the person who'd died. Swapping funny stories and listening to people's memories of the person was really nice, especially people who weren't close family or friends. And, if you didn't want to talk to anyone, you could just leave and take a break from it. Funeral home thing, for me, looks like a few hours of very hard graft, especially if you're really upset. Very impersonal too. No tea, no chat! Just lines of people shaking your hand. Different strokes for different folks though I suppose. Maybe funeral homes are easier if its a really tragic or young death - I wouldn't know.

Had a wake in my house for my dad nearly 20 years ago and the funeral home for my mum more recently. Have to say I preferred the funeral home-speedwaking, all over in an hour or two and my house was my own to retreat to when I needed privacy.

FloatingVoter

Well, if its a modern smart TV...you'll need to turn it off and throw it in the boot of your car (even if said car used to belong to the dead bloke, its finders keepers).
Also check under the deceased person's mattress for cash and jewellery. Also check the chimney for serious folding money.
Make sure the grieving relatives are well drunk while you rob the shop though. Make sure and replace with a cheap portable model in time for the Angelus.

And sorry to hear about your loss.

dee_mc

The Backwards Man wrote: »

It's wile.

Ah thanks, clear as mud now

donegal__road

dee_mc wrote: »

Translation please, for the uninitiated?

in Ulster scotts and parts of Donegal, there are approx 4 meanings to the word 'tight'.

Tight = drunk, as in 'Im half tight tonight...'
strong, as in 'that guy is a tight buck..' (buck being man)
tight as in mean with money,
and a difficult situation, as in a 'tight situation'

a difficult set of circumstances in Donegal is sometimes referred to as 'a handling'.. eg. I had an awful handling trying to get through town with the traffic

drop the 'd' and the 'g' and you have a tight hanlin