The Mourning Rituals of Ancient Egypt A Look at Grief and HairWhen it comes to mourning...

The Mourning Rituals of
Ancient Egypt A Look at Grief
and HairWhen it comes to
mourning the loss of a beloved
pet modern society has its own
unique ways of expressing
grief But in ancient times
cultures like those of Ancient
Egypt took a rather
unconventional approach to
showing their sorrowIn ancient
Egyptian culture when a
persons house cat yes you read
that right cats were highly
valued pets passed away the
owner would undergo a most
unusual transformation they
would shave their eyebrows Yes
you heard that correctly
those iconic brows would be
reduced to naught but a few
stray hairsThis peculiar
practice was known as mourning
by hair or in more poetic
terms grief askew By shaving
their eyebrows the grieving
individual would not only
physically express their
sorrow but also signal to
others that they were in a
state of bereavement It was a
powerful way to announce ones
loss to the world much like we
might wear black clothing or
hold a funeralIn many ancient
cultures hair played a
significant role in social and
cultural norms In Ancient
Egypt for instance women often
wore their hair long as a
symbol of femininity and
beauty By shaving those brows
an individual would be
deliberately disrupting this
norm creating a sense of
disarray or askew that
mirrored the emotional turmoil
they were experiencingThis
fascinating practice speaks to
the unique cultural context in
which it emerged In Ancient
Egypt cats were revered for
their mysterious powers and
their role as sacred animals
Losing ones feline friend was
akin to losing a member of the
family a devastating blow
that required a dramatic
display of griefFastforward to
today where we might opt for
more subtle or indeed more
conventional ways to express
our sorrow Yet in reflecting
on these ancient mourning
rituals were reminded that
grief is a universal human
experience one that can
manifest in unexpected
creative waysAs we navigate
the complexities of loss and
bereavement its essential to
acknowledge the power of
cultural expression and the
ways in which art fashion and
even hair can serve as an
extension of our emotions
Whether youre donning a black
veil or sporting a shaved
eyebrow in spirit if not
literally remember that grief
is a journey we all take one
that requires patience support
and creative outlets to
process our emotionsSources1
The Ancient Egyptians by Ian
Shaw2 Daily Life in Ancient
Egypt by Gay RobinsWhat do you
think about this ancient
practice Have you ever
experienced a loss that
prompted you to express your
grief in an unconventional way
Share your thoughts and
stories with us

Edward Lance Arellano Lorilla

CEO / Co-Founder

Enjoy the little things in life. For one day, you may look back and realize they were the big things. Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.