Editing Funeral (section)

==Mutes and professional mourners<!-- 'Mute (death customs)' redirects here -->==
{{further|Professional mourning}}
From about 1600 to 1914 Europe had two [[profession]]s that have almost entirely disappeared. The '''mute''' appears in art quite frequently, but in literature is probably best known from [[Charles Dickens|Dickens]]'s ''[[Oliver Twist]]'' (1837–1839). [[Oliver Twist (character)|Oliver]] is working for [[Mr Sowerberry]] when characterised thus: "There's an expression of melancholy in his face, my dear... which is very interesting. He would make a delightful mute, my love." And in ''[[Martin Chuzzlewit]]'' (1842–1844), Moult, the undertaker, states: "This promises to be one of the most impressive funerals,...no limitation of expense...I have orders to put on my whole establishment of mutes, and mutes come very dear, Mr Pecksniff".

The main function of a funeral mute was to stand around at funerals with a sad, pathetic face. A symbolic protector of the deceased, the mute would usually stand near the door of the home or church. In Victorian times, mutes would wear somber clothing including black cloaks, top hats with trailing hatbands, and gloves.<ref name="Puckle">Bertram S. Puckle, ''Funeral Customs: Their Origin and Development'' (London: T. W. Laurie, ltd., 1926) p. 66.</ref>

The [[professional mourner]], generally a woman, would shriek and wail (often while clawing her face and tearing at her clothing), to encourage others to weep. Records document forms of [[professional mourning]] from Ancient Greece.<ref name="Wilson2013">{{cite book|author= Nigel Wilson|title=Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=8pXhAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA135|year= 2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1136788000 |page=135}}</ref><ref name="BlundellBlundell1995">{{cite book|author1=Sue Blundell|author2=Susan Blundell |title= Women in Ancient Greece|url=https://archive.org/details/womeninancientgr00blun|url-access= registration|year=1995|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0674954731|page=[https://archive.org/details/womeninancientgr00blun/page/85 85]}}</ref> The 2003 award-winning Philippine comedy ''Crying Ladies'' revolves around the lives of three women who are part-time professional mourners for the Chinese-Filipino community in [[Binondo|Manila's Chinatown]]. According to the film, the Chinese use professional mourners to help expedite the entry of a deceased loved one's soul into heaven by giving the impression that he or she was a good and loving person, well-loved by many.