This article will discuss the expression that each of us had to listen to: “sprinkle ash on our heads.” What does it mean and where did this expression come to us, the meaning of which is so deep and ambiguous, and will not leave anyone indifferent?
As they say, a person can become gray in one night, and the ashes in the hair on his head symbolize the seal and sorrow. This is repentance and acceptance of all torment on one’s shoulders.
History of occurrence
Sprinkle heads with ash was adopted in ancient times among representatives of Jewish nationality. Moreover, the described action can be found in the Bible. Esther’s book tells of Mordecai, who, as a sign of grief and despair from the grief that overtook him, sprinkled ash on his head when he learned about the death of the Jewish people, cut out by order of King Artaxerxes.
In ancient times, the Jewish people had this custom: as a sign of grief in connection with the death of relatives and friends, sprinkle our heads with earth or ash. It was decided on the day of the funeral, or at the time of the terrible news, to vigorously show your feelings: scream loudly, cry. Perhaps guilt absorbs the person who suffered the loss, so dusting his head with ash was regarded as the last “forgive”. Unwillingness to part with a near and dear person leaving for the damp land looked like a ritual of a possible connection with the dead.
Value
Sprinkle ash on your head - in other words: mourn, grieve, cry loudly about the death of a loved one, the loss of which causes two strong emotions, acting alternately, undulating: sadness and grief. The grief splashes violently, it protests, rebels against the loss, demands to return everything to normal, and sadness - a sense of humility and awareness of the grief that has overtaken. Sorrow is passive, it holds a person in its captivity for a long time, grief is like a wave striking a stone rock with incredible strength, which immediately releases its prey, but completely deprives it of self-control.
The meaning of the expression “sprinkle ash on the head” is similar to a feeling of sadness. You can survive this difficult period only in the presence of those people who together are able to share the bitterness of loss. The significance of this sad event becomes deep and significant if you tell other people about it, see their reaction to what happened. The interpretation of the meaning “sprinkle ash on the head” can be extremely important, it is similar to a signal that a person “normally, and most importantly, correctly” reacts to grief. The alarm should not be caused by screaming and tears, but by the absence of those, which indicates the unconsciousness of the fact of losing a loved one, which can lead to further psychological problems.
Today
At present, it is not customary to express their emotions violently or openly about the loss of a loved one. It seems to us inappropriate to do as our ancestors did: tear off their clothes or sprinkle ashes on their heads. That only people didn’t come up, that they just didn’t invent! But no one will give clear instructions on how to survive the grief, what to do, how to be? As they say: life goes on and cannot be stopped, the sun also rises, children are born, young people are laughing. A sense of humility, remorse take possession of the soul.
It is worth mentioning that an expression of this kind, although used in colloquial form, but the semantic meaning in comparison with ancient times is distorted. When they say “sprinkle ashes on one’s head”, they may mean that a person takes on a deliberately miserable appearance, flaunts his grief, as one of the options to pity.
Conclusion
In conclusion, summing up the above, I would like to note that a person’s life consists of ups and downs, happiness and grief, loss and gain. Experiencing difficult times in life, people have learned in a few words to convey the abyss of grief that at least once in life, but everyone living on Earth will have to experience. Nobody will be able to alleviate this feeling, but it is worth knowing that suffering over a deceased loved one is a process of acceptance and awareness.