The Professional Mourners of Mani, Greece

The center-most peninsula of Greece, Mani, is best known for its quaint coastal villages and breathtaking cliffs. Unknown to many though, is its continuing practice of a traditional lament for the dead that dates to ancient times. The moirologia, considered an art form, traces its roots to the choirs of Greek tragedies. In these tragedies, the lead singer would start the mourning and the chorus would follow.

In practice, the sounds emanating from these moirologists, or professional mourners, are nearly indescribable. It is an animalistic primal howl, a wailing that permeates the very soul. These women are not large, but their presence looms over the military men that stand beside them.

During the memorial rites, the moirologists and relatives make various offerings: oil, perfume, honey, wine, garlands,          and locks of hair. The mourning period lasts three years, after which the body is exhumed and placed in a family mausoleum or village ossuary. It is not until the body is settled in its final resting place that the soul is believed to be released into the afterlife.

While these laments were designed to help the dead move to their next life, seeing these women weeping and mourning so openly aids mourning friends and family transition toward accepting the final passage of the deceased.

See Ro Kolanaros, The Professional Mourners of Mani, Greece, Atlas Obscura, February 14, 2018.