French Death Traditions: A Note on the Door

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The French are not shy when it comes to literary self-expression, for their cultural history, while well renowned for wine and cuisine, also boasts no shortage of creative greats. From Balzac to Jean-Paul Sartre, the country’s great writers have one particular thing in common: a fascination with writing about death. It’s a fascination that isn’t limited to the great penseurs, but something that permeates through everyday French life, which includes their funeral and end-of-life traditions.

“…[they] have one particular thing in common: a fascination with writing about death.”

Credit: French Basketeer

In many French towns, there has been a long-standing tradition of pinning up a journal on the door of the bereaved family’s home. This journal, traditionally decorated in black cloth, is an invitation for the community to express their feelings: their condolences, their pain, their joy and their support.

The funeral book is not an unusual aspect of an end-of-life ceremony — it often sits quietly at the corner of every ceremony. But, there is something especially intimate about the tradition of keeping the book upon one’s own door; it’s both inclusive and provides the family (and writer of the message) with a kind of privacy that can be appreciated in a time of grieving. One woman described her experience of hanging the “funeral book” on her door after the death of her husband:

“It was incredible. [Hanging a funeral book on one’s door] is not something you typically find in big cities anymore, but we thought we would try. Immediately, we felt the support of those we loved…we looked forward to coming home and finding messages from neighbors, even from strangers. It gave us cause to continue…to go on.”

Credit: Free People

“…there is something especially intimate about the tradition of keeping the book upon one’s own door; it’s both inclusive but provides the family with a kind of privacy that can be appreciated in a time of grieving…”

And today, she says she loves to crack open the book:

“It’s a living memory. It’s a testament to the people who loved him, and will go on loving him…It’s a way to keep him with us through the thoughts of those who knew him best.”

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