PORTLAND — The Victoria Mansion will host Mourning in the Mansion on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 7 and 8.

 

The event is a themed tour about Victorian death practices and contains excerpts from Portland Ballet’s upcoming production of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” It’s not recommended for children younger than 12.

 

Judged by today’s standards, Victorians celebrated the macabre with a complex system of practices for the time leading up to and following a person’s passing. In a time before antibiotics, even a mild cold or slight fever often served as a death sentence. Unlike today, death was something that was dealt with at home and most people were far more comfortable with practices surrounding the passing of close relatives than today.

 

The tour will take visitors back in time to learn about customs surrounding death in the Victorian age, ranging from how to dress and eat to how best to entertain visitors while in mourning. Lights will be dimmed to gaslight levels for the entirety of the evening, casting a haunting glow over the Mansion’s original interiors.

 

Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for Victoria Mansion members, and $15 for children 17 and younger.