Traditio imperat: continuing in daily gestures of ancient customs

The first question that by now we don’t set to ourselves is: “Why determined gestures and what is its origin?”; we make these gestures mechanically, without a reflection, but the importance is that we are a document of our era that use the gestures very ancient; why the elegant hand kissing? The obvious answer is because it is politeness in social high context, yes, certainly, but origin? Obvious answer, “No idea”, it is from ancient Greek custom, in fact when Priam, king of Troy, asked the corps of Ector his son, for the cremation he, that was a king, must kissed the hand of Achilles, because it is the sign of submission, as the guest that meets a lady, in aristocratic context, kisses the hand of lady, but this gesture is ancient, from 6^th century before Ch. The otherwise polite gesture of take off herself hat, in church or in other places where we are guest, the common comment is that it is politeness, yes, certainly, but it is has an precise origin, it is from the Medieval custom, when the knights have to took off the helmet, because they could hide an arm, and in the church the hat must be take off, because in Middle age, as today, in church we can’t entry wearing the arms. Take off the glove when we shake hand, why? Simple same motive of helm; during the Middle age the gloves were very long, and who wore it can hide an arm, hence was necessary that the glove was took off, because he could demonstrate that he hasn’t arms. In our house the guest is the first to seat, why? Because it is the politeness is obvious answer, or no? No absolutely because during Roman empire when somebody was welcomed in a house he wear the arms, and he could wear a hide arm, hence when he seat on the “sedes” or “sedicula”, this is the chair or little chair, he seated would have major difficulties to harm the patron or any in front of, that was on feet. Why the flowers on the tomb of some dear? The Christian tradition? No! The politeness? No! But it is a gesture that is from the decoration in ancient Rome, I could add because the ancient Roman brought the flowers to tomb, and after that I have written it a capital pain would be very scant, because this use is absolutely pagan, and it has melted an ornamental motive and a mythological origin, the first is a wreath of flowers that were sculpted  on funerary urn(Figs.1-6) and the second motive is merely mythological, this is the rebirth of goddess Persephone, a goddess that during the wind died and after in the spring reborn; hence it is the reborn in Christin heaven, but trough the pagan origin, the ornament on the funerary urn has same symbology, the rebirth after the death. Therefore we are documents of ancient times, and the future generation are going to be same documents.

Alessandro Lusana     

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