Black Ribbon

Black ribbon - the most popular in the world today symbol of mourning ... Although mourning may vary from culture to culture, each mourner wears some kind of black clothing. This has been the case since time immemorial.

“Since the XNUMXth century in Poland, black fabric has been used for mourning, from which long, separate-cut garments with large collars have been sewn. The mourning period was severe throughout the year. After the death of Queen Jadwiga and Zygmunt I, the people wore black of their own accord for a year, the virgins did not wear wreaths on their heads, there were no holidays or dances, and the orchestras did not even play at weddings. "
[Zofia de Bondi-Lempicka: Dictionary of Polish Things and Deeds, Warsaw, 1934]

Why do they now wear a black ribbon to mourn or express sympathy in the face of tragedy?
No one knows exactly the answer where this symbol came from. Most likely, this comes from Jewish culture, because during mourning Jews tear their clothes, and the ribbon attached to their clothes may illustrate just such a tear.