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Texto reemplazado: «<sup>th</sup> century» por «th century»
In the past, tradition and custom imposed strict rules about the garments to be worn by the people in the funeral cortege, particularly the official mourners. The first requirement was to be dressed in mourning, in other words, wearing black or dark colours as an expression of sorrow.
The male official mourners used to wear white shirts with black buttons and a black suit, often their wedding one, or their best clothes. They would wear a large cape, which was nearly always black, on top. This had been a long-standing practice and continued to be the custom until the early decades of the 20<sup>th</sup> 20th century and until the Spanish Civil War of 1936 in some places. In the northern Basque Country (lying within France), the tradition began to fall into disuse nearly everywhere after World War I and disappeared in the 1940s.
Even though the use of capes by the members of the cortege was widespread, according to the information gathered, it became a garment that was reserved for the official mourners or certain dignitaries. When a death occurred at a home, another household would lend the garment if the deceased’s family did not own one. There are places where owning a cape was a sign of economic clout.