GreekChat.com Forums  

Go Back   GreekChat.com Forums > General Chat Topics > Chit Chat
Register FAQ Community Calendar Today's Posts Search

Chit Chat The Chit Chat forum is for discussions that do not fit into the forum topics listed below.

» GC Stats
Members: 329,729
Threads: 115,666
Posts: 2,205,013
Welcome to our newest member, samuelpetrvoz32
» Online Users: 1,675
0 members and 1,675 guests
No Members online
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 12-31-2005, 08:58 PM
KillarneyRose KillarneyRose is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Naptown
Posts: 6,608
Grossest Thing I have EVER Seen

Seriously, I almost threw up a little in my mouth when I saw the

wreath made out of dead peoples' hair
__________________
I ♥ Delta Zeta ~ Proud Mom of an Omega Phi Alpha and a Phi Mu
"I just don't want people to go around thinking I'm the kind of person who doesn't believe in God or voted for Kerry." - Honeychile
Hail to Pitt!
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 12-31-2005, 09:17 PM
CUGreekgirl CUGreekgirl is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: In the deep south (and there's no place I'd rather be)
Posts: 433
Ewww, I definitely would not want that hanging in my house!
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 12-31-2005, 10:03 PM
honeychile's Avatar
honeychile honeychile is offline
Super Moderator
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Counting my blessings!
Posts: 31,401
I think they're gross - but they were very popular in the late 1800's. Even worth (to me) were rings that women would wear of their late fiance or husband's hair - blech.

Another really weird thing they did then was if they had a family photo made - they'd airbrush anyone who happened to pass away into the photo! So you'd see this perfectlly normal family, wearing 1890's clothing, and a War Between the States soldier hovering in uniform!
__________________
~ *~"ADPi"~*~
Proud to be a Macon Magnolia
"He who is not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Dylan
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 12-31-2005, 10:30 PM
RedRoseSAI RedRoseSAI is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago
Posts: 1,381
Quote:
Originally posted by honeychile
they'd airbrush anyone who happened to pass away into the photo!
How did they do that back then?
__________________
Sigma Alpha Iota
"To be faithful over a few things"
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 12-31-2005, 10:33 PM
Tickled Pink 2 Tickled Pink 2 is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Insomnia
Posts: 979
That is beyond nasty. Like chopping off a finger as a souvenir - the only difference is that the hair won't rot.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 01-01-2006, 01:15 AM
honeychile's Avatar
honeychile honeychile is offline
Super Moderator
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Counting my blessings!
Posts: 31,401
Quote:
Originally posted by RedRoseSAI
How did they do that back then?
I honestly don't know - I imagine that they cut out the photo, then put it where it "belonged" on the family photo, and took another picture. Sometimes, they're in the corner, like an angel or other presence. I think it's really gross - and you can ALWAYS tell!
__________________
~ *~"ADPi"~*~
Proud to be a Macon Magnolia
"He who is not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Dylan
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 01-01-2006, 04:36 PM
amandadyer amandadyer is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Texas
Posts: 60
I'm a museum curator, and we have one of those hair wreaths in our collection. I've always thought it was a bit creepy! I've also seen bracelets, brooches, etc. made of human hair.

As far as creepy pictures go, it was also fairly common in the Victorian era to take pictures of dead people and collect them in albums. I've seen books published with these images, and most of the time the person looks asleep, and someone who isn't aware of the custom would never know that the person is dead.

Both of these customs are manifestations of the (overzealous and quite creepy, in my opinion) Victorian fascination with death and the afterlife.

Amanda
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 01-01-2006, 04:49 PM
RedRoseSAI RedRoseSAI is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago
Posts: 1,381
Quote:
Originally posted by amandadyer
As far as creepy pictures go, it was also fairly common in the Victorian era to take pictures of dead people and collect them in albums. I've seen books published with these images, and most of the time the person looks asleep, and someone who isn't aware of the custom would never know that the person is dead.

Both of these customs are manifestations of the (overzealous and quite creepy, in my opinion) Victorian fascination with death and the afterlife.
Yeah...glad I missed the Victorian era. Those were creepy times, indeed. The "book of the dead" was brought up in the Nicole Kidman film The Others. I had never heard of it until then.
__________________
Sigma Alpha Iota
"To be faithful over a few things"
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 01-01-2006, 05:18 PM
AchtungBaby80 AchtungBaby80 is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Lexington, KY, USA
Posts: 3,185
Send a message via ICQ to AchtungBaby80 Send a message via AIM to AchtungBaby80 Send a message via Yahoo to AchtungBaby80
Yes, the Victorians were a little messed up. The first time I saw one of those hair wreaths was when I was on a tour of a local historical home, and I was like, "Oh, how pretty!" until the guide told us what it was. Then looked a whole lot different!
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 01-01-2006, 05:35 PM
PM_Mama00 PM_Mama00 is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
Posts: 5,807
Send a message via AIM to PM_Mama00 Send a message via Yahoo to PM_Mama00
Quote:
Originally posted by amandadyer
I'm a museum curator, and we have one of those hair wreaths in our collection. I've always thought it was a bit creepy! I've also seen bracelets, brooches, etc. made of human hair.

As far as creepy pictures go, it was also fairly common in the Victorian era to take pictures of dead people and collect them in albums. I've seen books published with these images, and most of the time the person looks asleep, and someone who isn't aware of the custom would never know that the person is dead.

Both of these customs are manifestations of the (overzealous and quite creepy, in my opinion) Victorian fascination with death and the afterlife.

Amanda
Not sure if they still do this in Sicily, but I've seen pictures of family members' funeral procession in the streets. It was from a long time ago, maybe 50s or 60s? I thought it was weird but my mom said they used to do that.
__________________
Proud to be a Macon Magnolia!

KLTC
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 01-01-2006, 06:33 PM
honeychile's Avatar
honeychile honeychile is offline
Super Moderator
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Counting my blessings!
Posts: 31,401
Quote:
Originally posted by PM_Mama00
Not sure if they still do this in Sicily, but I've seen pictures of family members' funeral procession in the streets. It was from a long time ago, maybe 50s or 60s? I thought it was weird but my mom said they used to do that.
My mother's mother died before I was born, but I was always told that I looked just her. The fact that the only pictures I had ever seen of her was when she was in her casket, I was absolutely horrified as a kid!!

Now, having learned that there's a magnetic field between the Irish and an open casket, I just figure that I know what I want the undertaker to do (or not to do) with my body when I die! Cremation is sounding pretty good, but after my grandmother was viewed, she was cremated. Talk about "wanting it all"!


ps - I have now seen pictures of my grandmother when she was alive, and see the resemblence - including why my granddaddy always bought her sexy hosiery!
__________________
~ *~"ADPi"~*~
Proud to be a Macon Magnolia
"He who is not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Dylan
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 01-01-2006, 10:28 PM
PM_Mama00 PM_Mama00 is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
Posts: 5,807
Send a message via AIM to PM_Mama00 Send a message via Yahoo to PM_Mama00
I'm confused on what you mean by a magnetic field with the Irish and open caskets. I'm curious too. My cousin's father in law unfortunately passed away a few days ago (he was one of the nicest men I've ever met). They are very Irish, and they are only having tomorrow as the funeral (?) service. It's at a church and I'm not sure if they are having an open or closed casket but I've heard it's the same as what his wife had a few years ago. I thought maybe that had to do with Irish culture.
__________________
Proud to be a Macon Magnolia!

KLTC
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 01-01-2006, 10:56 PM
honeychile's Avatar
honeychile honeychile is offline
Super Moderator
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Counting my blessings!
Posts: 31,401
Quote:
Originally posted by PM_Mama00
I'm confused on what you mean by a magnetic field with the Irish and open caskets. I'm curious too. My cousin's father in law unfortunately passed away a few days ago (he was one of the nicest men I've ever met). They are very Irish, and they are only having tomorrow as the funeral (?) service. It's at a church and I'm not sure if they are having an open or closed casket but I've heard it's the same as what his wife had a few years ago. I thought maybe that had to do with Irish culture.
Actually, that's a bit of a joke on the Irish, and how they have some major wakes. I've only been to one wake in my life, where someone stayed with the "honoree" 24 hours a day for the two days prior to her burial, and almost everyone was trashed. I was offered more flasks than at a tailgate party! This one was for my mother's friend from school, and as we left, my mother said, "You just know that Mary Jane's going to be standing in the corner by the end of the night!"

Correct me if I'm wrong, and I'm sure y'all will, but the Irish almost embrace the concept of death - they understand that no one gets out of here alive. So, the death of a decent person is not to be mourned, but to be celebrated (well, within limits). When my daddy died, my brother (who's a pastor) did the service, and had me do "the color", and everyone loved it, laughing and crying at the same time. We talked about his handiwork, how you turn spigots on backwards in our house, hot water comes out of the cold spigot etc, the lighting works backwards, how much he loved us and doing anything he could for us, and that, since "In My father's house, there are many mansions," he's gone ahead of us, to make sure that the spigots are working, and the lighting, and making sure that we'll recognize our heavenly mansions - things like that. An Irish funeral is much like laughter through tears, like you're in a lifeboat with the deceased and all who loved him. I don't know how else to describe it, but as horrible as you feel, you know that everything will be okay. Eventually. But it doesn't mean you don't miss him horribly at times like this...
__________________
~ *~"ADPi"~*~
Proud to be a Macon Magnolia
"He who is not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Dylan
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 01-02-2006, 12:17 AM
Tickled Pink 2 Tickled Pink 2 is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Insomnia
Posts: 979
Quote:
Originally posted by amandadyer
I'm a museum curator, and we have one of those hair wreaths in our collection. I've always thought it was a bit creepy! I've also seen bracelets, brooches, etc. made of human hair.

As far as creepy pictures go, it was also fairly common in the Victorian era to take pictures of dead people and collect them in albums. I've seen books published with these images, and most of the time the person looks asleep, and someone who isn't aware of the custom would never know that the person is dead.

Both of these customs are manifestations of the (overzealous and quite creepy, in my opinion) Victorian fascination with death and the afterlife.

Amanda

Some people still do this - but not in the exact same way. They take pictures at the funeral and put them in albums. WHen my grandmother passed, some of my relatives did this. I never looked at the pictures.

When I saw "The Others" that really creeped me out. They actually took the time to pose the dead bodies.
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 01-02-2006, 12:25 AM
honeychile's Avatar
honeychile honeychile is offline
Super Moderator
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Counting my blessings!
Posts: 31,401
We have photos of most of my family who have gone to their reward. I still feel badly that my daddy died so suddenly that we didn't get one of him...
__________________
~ *~"ADPi"~*~
Proud to be a Macon Magnolia
"He who is not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Dylan
Reply With Quote
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 01:08 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, vBulletin Solutions Inc.