Casa funerară, o componentă rituală specifică

Combining bibliographical research with fieldwork, this study examines a funerary tradition specific to the historical region of Moldavia, particularly the Sascut–Bacău area, which reflects local beliefs concerning the configuration of the afterlife. Because of its limited geographical distribution, this practice has the status of a regional variant. Known as the “house of the deceased,” it is performed as a funerary rite of anticipation on the day of the burial by members of the deceased’s family. Regardless of the manner of death, age, or gender, the ritual is based on the belief that the deceased will continue to exist in the world beyond and will therefore require the same necessities as in earthly life. The study focuses on the analysis of this ritual as a practice intended to facilitate the deceased’s integration into the community of the ancestors in the afterlife.