Phyllobolia

Phyllobolia (from φύλλον, a leaf, and Βάλλω, to throw), a custom which existed among the ancient heathen nations of throwing flowers and leaves on the tombs of the dead. The Greek was placed on his funeral bed as if asleep, wearing a white robe and garland. the purple pall half hidden by numerous chaplets, and so was carried out to his burial before the dawn of day. The Romans, deriving the custom from the Greeks, covered tie bier and the funeral pile with leaves and flowers. It is not an unfrequent custom in different parts of England in our day to spread flowers on and around the body when committing it to the coffin. In Wales also, when the body is interred, females hasten with their aprons full of flowers to plant them on the grave. The practice of connecting flowers with the dead seems to have been of great antiquity, for an Egyptian of high rank was wont to be carried to his sepulchre in a sarcophagus adorned with lotus, had his tomb decked with wreaths, and his mummy-case painted with acacia leaves and flowers. The use of the flowers on such occasions was no doubt connected with the idea of life after death.