Sacred and Profane Space: Ritual Interaction and Process in the Newfoundland House Wake

This paper examines the spatial relationships which develop within the context of the traditional Newfoundland wake, including both the physical deployment of space during the wake and the practice of ritual separation during the symbolic "distancing" of the dead. These features are examined through a comparative analysis of wakes in both Catholic and Protestant communities. Résumé L'étude porte sur les relations spatiales qui s'établissent dans le contexte de la veillée funèbre traditionnelle à Terre-Neuve. Cette analyse comparative des veillées dans les communautés catholique et protestante examine surtout la façon d'occuper l'espace pendant la veillée, pendant le rite de passage, ainsi qu'au cours de Vêloignement" symbolique du défunt