Why do fir branches appear at funerals and why do people close windows in the house? In this lecture on funeral rites, you will learn how perceptions of death have changed in Russia and what traces of these rituals remain in everyday life. Death and mourning will be examined through painting - the paintings will reveal details, meanings, and even rules of "the other world." Death is a topic that is usually avoided, but it is always present in culture. In this meeting, the discussion will focus on Russian funeral rites and how artists depicted mourning and farewells in their paintings. Through the paintings, it is easier to notice details: gestures, objects, the order of actions, and symbolism that has migrated from the past into today’s habits. You will analyze several recognizable questions from the folk "instructions" for farewells. Why are fir branches used at funerals? Why are windows closed? What was considered proper behavior for the living, and how was the path of a person after death imagined? The lecture will help understand which elements of the ritual were connected to faith, which to everyday logic, and which became traditions that have distorted over time. A special interest lies in the perspective through art. Russian artists recorded mourning not as an abstract subject, but as part of everyday life: with specific people, clothing, interiors, and objects. Through such details, one can "read" the era and see how attitudes towards death have changed over different periods - from strict rules to more personal experiences. Visual examples will make the conversation lively and understandable even for those who are distant from the history of rituals. The meeting is aimed at adult listeners interested in cultural anthropology, the history of everyday life, and Russian painting. It will also suit those who love to ask uncomfortable questions: why do we do things "as is customary" and where do these "customs" come from. There will be explanations, examples, surprising facts, and a bit of irony - without heavy moralizing. The speaker is Lyudmila Filonova, a guide and employee of the Museum of Urban Sculpture. The final conclusion is simple and precise: a conversation about death always returns to life - to what we...