Page:Modern Greek folklore and ancient Greek religion - a study in survivals.djvu/553

 green the memory of the dead by charitable distributions of his goods, but partly, as we have seen, to induce those persons who were invited to the feast to forgive the dead man and to revoke any curses with which they had bound him, and partly to minister to the dead man's own bodily needs; and in spite of ecclesiastical influence to the contrary, this twofold purpose is still generally recognised, and that portion of the food which is not consumed by the company invited or by the priests, but is actually left on the grave, is honestly intended as nourishment for the dead body there interred.

This motive was fully appreciated by a French traveller of the seventeenth century; describing these grave-side feasts, he says, 'Frequent presents of cakes, wine, rice, fruits, and other eatables, decked out with flowers and ribbons, are taken to the tomb.' There, he continues, the priest blesses the food and takes a good share of it, and a feast is then held 'wherein they seek to make the dead man participate as well .' Thus even now, after centuries of Christianity, there seems to be no change of feeling among the common-folk, and their intention, or one part of it, is still best summed up in the phrase of Euripides, 'to render sustenance unto the dead .'

The food proper to these meals subsequent to the day of the funeral is known as [Greek: kollyba]. It consists of grain, usually wheat, boiled whole, and thus closely resembles the English 'frumenty.' It is sometimes garnished and made more palatable by the addition of sugar ornaments, almonds, raisins, and pieces of pomegranate, but the essential thing is boiled grain. How the word [Greek: kollyba] obtained this meaning is not known to me ; but the food itself is quite probably a legacy from the ancient world. The silicernium or funeral-feast of the Romans took its name apparently from siliquae, some kind of pulse, which must therefore. The spelling with [Greek: ll] is preferable.]was 'small coins.' The scholiast on Aristoph. Plut. 768 mentions [Greek: kollyba] among the [Greek: katachysmata] thrown over a new slave on his introduction to the household. These consisted mainly of sweetmeats, etc. (cf. op. cit. 798) whence apparently Hesychius (s.v. [Greek: kollyba]) explains that word by [Greek: trôgalia]. More probably small coins were thrown along with various sweetmeats; for the kindred custom of throwing [Greek: katachysmata] over a bride on her entry into her new home has continued down to the present day, and these certainly now comprise small change as well as sticky edibles.]