O sentido dos rituais fúnebres

Abstract

Death is a relentless and inevitable certainty for living beings. The human being, aware of his own mortality, developed funeral rituals that vary according to the socio-historical context in which he is inserted. In general, funeral rituals are marked by three main stages: preparation of the body; exposure of the body at the wake; and burial or cremation. Such rituals are important to demarcate, socially, the passage of the individual from life to death. In addition, they can play a supporting role to the living and demarcation of the state of mourning. Therefore, the present research had as general objective to identify the senses of funeral rituals at the present time; and its specific objectives were to investigate the repercussions of the socio-historical context in the attribution of meanings to funeral rituals and to analyze the senses of these rituals identified from the theoretical contribution of Freudian psychoanalysis. The research was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Alagoas (UFAL), under protocol nº CAE: 55827822.9.0000.5013 - nº 5.338.250. It is an exploratory qualitative research. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted from a script of questions. It was built an invitation composed of text message, containing, in an abbreviated way, the general information of the research and the contact of the researcher. The invitation was shared via WhatsApp and the interviews took place through the Google Meet platform. The interviews were recorded and later transcribed for analysis. The sample consisted of eight individuals aged 18 years or over, of both sexes, with full autonomy and whose native language is Portuguese. The collected data were analyzed through Thematic Analysis, taking into account the considerations of Freudian psychoanalysis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight participants, aged between 20 and 26 years. From the in-depth reading of the transcriptions, three thematic categories were constructed: Funeral rituals: from the registry office to the wake; On behalf of the dead; An inadmissible end. Participants' responses reflect their personal experiences with funeral rites. The practice of funeral and burial are the most cited rituals among respondents. While some individuals reported knowing little about the subject, others brought detailed descriptions of the component stages of the ritual. Amid the responses, the funeral ritual emerges as a socially agreed way to demarcate the end of a person’s life. In addition, some participants said they did not personally perceive any sense or function in the funeral ceremony. Still, all participants recognize the importance for those who are alive in organizing and participating in these rites. Certain participants pointed out that the outsourcing of funeral ceremonies is the result of the capitalist context. In addition, some participants pointed out how the pandemic scenario seems to have highlighted the importance of funeral rituals and the lack that their absence brings. While some participants have thought about their own funeral ceremony and have even decided between burial or cremation, other respondents have not considered the topic and see no importance in thinking about it. There are those who have communicated their funeral choices to the people in their social circle, even if succinctly. Other participants reported in greater detail how their own funeral ritual should be conducted. Humor was a resource used to talk about the funeral ritual and the death of oneself. Given the perspectives presented, it is concluded that funeral rites can act as an examination of reality, attesting to the concreteness of the death of the loved one. Still, the deceased individual continues to exist in the psyche of the bereaved, who will need to perform the work of mourning, that is, the necessary libidinal divestment of the lost beloved object. For future research, it is suggested to expand the sample age range and conduct face-to-face interviews.