The Victorian Era - in tandem with the reign of Britain's Queen Victoria - lasted throughout most of the 19th century. The Victorian period isn't exactly known for its go-with-the-flow attitude about social convention, and it's probably no surprise that death and mourning were not exempt from a set of strict rules of decorum. During this time period, elaborate mourning rituals became the norm, to the point of socially shaming those who didn't follow these highly regimented grief practices. Some of these rituals, such as having meals after funerals and surrounding the body of the dead with flowers, are still practiced today; while other of the death practices, some quite odd indeed, faded away after the end of the era.