When travelling abroad one always discovers new customs unique to that very region. During a recent trip to the British countryside, this was again the case, as I found these Brits had an interesting way of dealing with the grieving process.
On holiday, I always get up early and go for a little walk. On my very first walk, much to my surprise, every passerby wished me "A good mourning". Not knowing how to react the first two times, I ended up giving a simple yet polite head nod. But as the third passerby wished me "a good mourning", I decided to return the grieving wish. "A good mourning to you too, sir," after which he gracefully nodded and walked along. Of course, all this thinking about grief made me think of my grandfather, who had passed away many years before, but whom I still hadn't forgotten. So when the fourth person wished me a good mourning, I said: "Yes, I miss my grandfather very much." This person looked at me a bit funny and hurried along.
Immediately I realized the British are a folk who keep their emotions hidden deep inside. It's probably already a big deal for them to wish a good mourning to everyone they meet. So from then on, I decided to simply return the words and go on my way.
Another surprise was soon to be revealed, because as noon started, no-one wished me a good mourning anymore. It was just the regular good afternoon, good evening, good night. Apparently the British countryside mourns in the early hours of the day and then goes on with their day. That makes sense. It's not healthy to keep dwelling on lost loved ones.
Anyway, I just wanted to share this unique custom that I ended up enjoying very much!
3 comments:
I see. I always thought they said "good morning", but this makes a lot more sense. I hope to soon visit the british countryside again and experience their grieving wishes. I have loved and lost, the world can be a lonesome place and a beautiful maze. And i keep wandering ...
Yes, we do do that, don't we? I have never really understood why, but my father and mother did it and my grandfather and grandmother before them, and so I do it too.
Thank you for this blog post. As a travelling agency specializing in grief counseling trips, we have now added the British Countryside to our destinations.
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