"Professional mourners" were once a fixture in many cultures. In the Spain of the sixteenth century, for example, one of the duties expected of children housed in orphanages was that they would walk in the funeral procession of important benefactors. It is even mentioned in the Bible: "Call for the wailing women to come; send for the most skillful of them." (Jeremiah 9:17)
You may have thought, however, that this is one of those crafts that has disappeared, but this is not the case. For example, visit the website of Rent a Mourner, an English firm in Essex. They are available for funerals and wakes by appointment and claim to work with agents throughout the country. They typically help increase visitors to funerals where there may be a low turnout expected. This, according to the website, can usually be a popularity issue or being new to an area. They have a significant number of mourners to call upon when the need arises.
In the United States, we usually call them reality television stars, lifestyle reporters or politicians looking for a bit of publicity to jump start a sluggish campaign. In the case of the last mentioned, this is especially important if it is a case of a high-profile murder or something remotely connected to religion.
what a concept.
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