Andrzej Piotr Kowalski discusses historical death rituals

Professor Andrzej Piotr Kowalski from the Institute of Anthropology at the University of Gdańsk has detailed historical funerary customs and rituals used to manage the transition of the deceased to the afterlife.

According to Kowalski, traditional practices in rural or noble households involved specific actions to prevent the soul of the deceased from lingering or harming the living. These included striking a coffin against a doorstep three times and avoiding the manipulation of threads or yarn to prevent a soul from becoming trapped. To ensure the deceased could not take the living with them, eyes were closed, and various physical disruptions were made, such as opening windows, doors, or even creating holes in roofs to facilitate the departure of the spirit.

Kowalski also explained the concept of creating a “world upside down,” where items like chairs, vessels, and mirrors were overturned or covered. This ritualistic disorientation was intended to prevent the deceased from recognizing their former surroundings, thereby making it more difficult for the spirit to return to the home.