Mourning

Showing sadness or sorrow, usually at a person’s death, but sometimes because of a wrongdoing. When people in Bible times learned of a death or other tragedy, they often tore their clothes. Sometimes mourners sprinkled dust or ashes on their heads. People often wore clothing made of coarse material (such as goat hair) as a sign of mourning. Another mourning custom was to cover one’s head with a heavy veil. Musicians might play mournful music (especially on the flute) to show the family’s sadness. Some of these customs are seen in the story of the death of Jairus’s daughter.