Mourning, from the Latin “lucto”, is a deep feeling of sadness and grief for someone's death. Grief is characterized by a period of consternation and longing for the loss of a loved one.
The outward signs of the feeling of mourning can be expressed in different ways, in different cultures and religions, especially in the Catholic Church, which performs some rituals during the period of mourning, such as the ordering of the body, the mass of the present body, the seventh-day mass and the one-month mass on the day of the death.
The colors that represent mourning vary between countries. Black, the most common, was for many decades the color used by the family of the deceased, during wakes, burial and for a long period of mourning.
The color white is more common to represent mourning in eastern civilizations, such as China and Japan. In South Africa, red represents the color of mourning.
The Western custom of wearing black during mourning was already common among the Egyptians. This tradition later passed to the Romans, who wore a black toga during mourning. The use of black as the color of mourning was expanded throughout the Roman Empire and adopted by the Catholic Church. Among Christians, purple is also a color that represents mourning.
official mourning
Official mourning is a form of expression of a nation's sadness at the death of a public official. It is also common for the president of the country to decree official mourning for the death of a public figure who has distinguished himself by providing relevant services to the nation, a writer, a sportsman, etc.
The normal period for national mourning is three days, which can be extended to seven days. In the event of the death of the President of the Republic, the mourning period will last for eight days.
As for the raising of the National Flag, during the period of mourning, it will be at half-mast in all public offices that decreed it, whether at the municipal, state or federal level.