Folklore & Superstition
Salt After a Funeral
Short answer: In Japan, mourners often sprinkle a little salt over themselves before re-entering their homes after a funeral, to cleanse away the impurity associated with death.
The custom comes from the Shinto idea of kegare, a kind of spiritual pollution linked to death. Small packets of purifying salt are commonly handed out at funerals for exactly this purpose.
Related customs exist elsewhere: in some Mahayana Buddhist communities, salt is thrown over the left shoulder after a funeral to keep evil spirits from following people home.
Related traditions
Cite this page
For school projects and reports. Teachers often prefer the original sources too: see the list below.
The Salt Almanac. (2026, November 8). Salt after a funeral. https://saltalmanac.com/folklore/salt-after-funeral
“Salt After a Funeral.” The Salt Almanac, 8 Nov. 2026, saltalmanac.com/folklore/salt-after-funeral. Accessed [today's date].
“Salt After a Funeral.” The Salt Almanac. Last modified November 8, 2026. https://saltalmanac.com/folklore/salt-after-funeral.
Original sources
- Wikipedia. Harae. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harae
- Wikipedia. Kegare. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kegare
- Wikipedia. Spilling salt. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spilling_salt