Mourning - Charming

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~Mourning

Mourning was an important part of Victorian culture—the formal expression of grief for a loved one lost. Like most things in the era, it had its own set of specific rules to be adhered to. Like their muggle counterparts, the denizens of Magical Britain also engage in the mourning practice, albeit with their own spin...

~Full Mourning

During deep or full mourning, grief is theoretically at its deepest. For a widow, this sees her dressed strictly in black without any jewelry as well as a mourning veil. For others, bows and frills are permitted, but both are to be dressed in black. For men, the usual black suits will suffice, as long as accessories such as gloves are also black. For those who must wear a uniform for their profession (healers, aurors, household staff, etc.), a black armband would be de rigeur. Children alone are exempt by society from these practices, though family custom may vary.

During this period...

It is not acceptable to attend or host balls, formal luncheons, fairs, card nights, or other celebrations...
...however, intimate dinners with close friends or family are acceptable
It is not acceptable to pay calls...
...however, it is acceptable to receive them
It is not acceptable to celebrate major life milestones such as weddings, or to enter into engagements.
Remaining at home as much as possible is the expectation.

~Partial Mourning

The further removed you are from grief, the less you have to publicly suffer from social expectation. Once you've entered into partial mourning (or half-mourning or lesser mourning), light grey and white are once again available to you, as well as lavender. Magical folk can even get away with near-black shades of blue and green!

It is not acceptable to attend or host balls, card nights, and other such evening indulgences...
...however, dinner parties, fundraisers, and their ilk are back on the table!
Paying and receiving calls are both socially acceptable...
...as are trips to the park (for example) and necessary shopping!
With the exception of a widow, it is now acceptable to discreetly spend time with others for the purpose of matrimony.

~Length of Mourning

The length of mourning depended on who you are and who the dead is to you.

~The Undead Question

One thing that muggle mourning customs never needed to account for is the situation of a deceased relation... still hanging around. As a result, mgical mourning custom in these situations is a bit more slapdash.

At death, all marriages are legally dissolved.
In the case of a relation being made a vampire, traditional mourning should be observed. However, some more liberal individuals may choose to observe only partial mourning, or no mourning at all—this would be looked down upon by mainstream society.
In the case of a relation lingering as a ghost, no one would bat an eye if the family observed only partial mourning. After all, they're not gone.

~Peculiar Customs

The Victorian era was home to a number of peculiar customs and rituals surrounding death. For example, "[m]ementos such as lockets, brooches and rings, usually containing a lock of hair and photograph, functioned as tangible reminders of the deceased." (Australian Museum). The dead might be buried with a rope-and-bell system, just in case they were accidentally still alive. The practice of "death phogography" was born during this time—the deceased would be photographed, and even positioned as though still alive!