Wake
The wake is a testimony of honor given to a deceased prior to burial . It is an integral part of the cult of the dead and a means of coping with grief. In Austria the wake is usually as Wachten referred.
The wake in German-speaking countries is mostly religiously motivated and shows great regional differences. Until the end of the 19th century - in rural areas even longer - it was customary to solemnly lay the deceased in one's own four walls on the death bed or in an open coffin . The relatives, acquaintances and friends were given the opportunity to personally say goodbye to the deceased and to pray together with the relatives for the salvation of his soul.
The gathering for common prayer during the day was not yet called a wake. Rather, wake meant "night watch over the corpse" (JG Krünitz and the Brothers Grimm). It was usually held by people who were particularly close to the deceased and lasted all night. These "guards" had the character of an informal get-together in which the achievements of the deceased were appreciated and events from his life were told. Food and beverages were served, and at an advanced hour it was not uncommon for excessive alcohol to occur with all the unpleasant side effects:
“Poor friend! sleep would have been healthier for you than such a wake up to the death. "
" A corpse lay pale as snow and the guardian of the dead drank tirelessly. "
Sometimes up to thirty people sat crammed together in the overheated room in which the dead man was laid out. Above all, the sanitary problems ultimately led to saying goodbye to the deceased more and more in the mortuary chapels and morgues. The intimate character of the wake, as it was taken for granted in the 19th century, was lost.
Today the meaning of the wake has changed insofar as every form of joint farewell is called a wake, regardless of whether it takes place in the presence of a priest in the church or in private, in the farewell room of a hospital or old people's home.