The mourning moon marks the hot and dry doldrums of summer. 

The Day of Mourning | 15th  #

The Day of Mourning mourns our exile from Freka and all the community’s ancestors who never lived to see a new motherland. In the House of Prayer, the community gathers to memorialize all who have passed in historical and living memory. Then Shepherds of Souls leads the congregation in a ceremony to invite our deceased loved ones to join us for an evening.

In the weeks prior, Rafa Shepherds work hard to prepare for the day by wrapping the cemetery tombstones in thread to bind the souls of the deceased and then making candles out of the thread. On the Day of Mourning each family lights these candle to invite their deceased family members home (as long as the candle burns) for a meal of their favorite dishes.