Funeral favours

Funeral favours. A tender farewell, Vissefjärda, Kalmar county.

NM.0271006E

SUGAR IN MOURNING
At funerals, guests were given confectionery as a memento of the deceased. This was a widespread custom in Sweden in the 19th century but grew less common in the first decades of the 20th century. The sweets were arranged on trays around a larger central sugar figure. Biblical scenes were mixed with the symbols of hope, mourning and gratitude. The name of the deceased and the funeral date were often written on the sweet.