Dites à  mes amis que je suis mort

We are in western Georgia where, according to custom, the dead are not separated from the living. People involve them in their family life, talk to them and seek their advice. They protect the dead and hope the dead will protect them. Here, death is not taboo. People die surrounded by their family and loved ones. Everyone knows that when they die, the family will continue to take care of them and make sure that “the deceased has everything he needs and is in good health”. The family is never alone either. The neighbours are there to keep up their spirits, to help them with the ceremony and see that everything is “done properly”. When a family member dies, his relatives dress him in his best suit. He has to be ready to “welcome the guests”. At eight o’clock in the evening, the condolences ceremony begins…