Home guarantor
A corpse washer is referred to as Heimbürge (female form Heimbürgin , formerly also woman of the dead or corpse woman ).
activity
The woman's job was to wash and clothe the deceased. She was appointed by the closest relatives of the mourning house, mostly she was a woman from the village or city district who specialized in this task, or a neighbor.
The woman in the dead washed the corpse and often anointed it with essential oils. She dressed the deceased in his festive clothes (in the case of virgins who died unmarried often in a wedding dress ) and prepared the corpse for the laying out, which was followed by the wake and blessing by the pastor. Often she also reported the death to the registry office and therefore appeared on death certificates .
today
There is evidence that the profession of the woman of the dead existed in Porta Westfalica until 1983 . The former farmer Wilhelmine Möller practiced the profession of woman in the dead for 25 years after the death of her husband (1958). Today, the undertaker is usually responsible for washing and dressing the corpse (see: hygienic care for the dead ). In the GDR , home guarantors - some for funeral homes, but mostly on behalf of the church - worked until the end; but they seldom practiced the job as their only occupation. Even today there are funeral directors who employ people with this job title and professional understanding.
Web links
- A village priest on the border of Brunswick Land recalls: Cemeteries - Funerals - Funeral discussions of Dietrich Kuessner
- Description of the activity of a home citizen on the website of the Wolf funeral home
supporting documents
- ↑ Wilhelmine Möller entry in the Internet portal "Westphalian History"