Professional mourning

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Professional mourning or paid mourning is an occupation that originates from Egyptian, Chinese, Mediterranean and Near Eastern cultures. Professional mourners, also called moirologists^[1] and mutes, are compensated to lament or deliver a eulogy and help comfort and entertain the grieving family. Mentioned in the Bible^[2] and other religious texts, the occupation is widely invoked and explored in literature, from the Ugaritic epics of early centuries BC^[3] to modern poetry.