Wetting the cobbles.

[westendlass]

I was watching the film Angeles Ashes the other day and , in one scene, a horse drawn funeral carriage is going down a street and women are throwing buckets of water just before the horse walks on it. Just wondering if anyone knows why and does it still happen anywhere?

 

[Jim Procter]

Sounds like something the Pats and Micks would get up to.

 

[Margaret Pilkington]

I only ever heard of them putting straw on the cobbles to muffle the sound of the horses hooves. This was considered a mark of respect. When someone in the street died, everyone closed their curtains on the day of the funeral.

 

[westendlass]

I knew of people who closed their curtains as a mark of respect. Perhaps throwing water was particular to Ireland in that era (1930's).

 

[flashy]

In the book "Angela's Ashes", why did they throw water in front of the funeral procession? - Homework Help - eNotes.com

' Apparently it had become an Irish tradition to
hold back the water used to bathe the corpse, to
later throw it in front of the hearse as the funeral
procession rolled by. Why? Who knows, but thats
the tradition and thats why they do it in the
book. You can hear director Alan Parker say so
during the directors commentary if you own the
DVD.'

 

[Accyexplorer]

Not sure if they still do it today, but it's a old Irish tradition.
Something to do with protecting/blessing/cleansing the path of the deceased into the other world.
I'm not 100% but, I think water (usually blessed by the priest) was thrown in the way of the funeral as a way to clear and bless the path of the deceased on the way to heaven.

 

[westendlass]

Thanks Flashy and Accyexplorer, it just kept me wondering after watching the film.