When a relative was very ill, the oldest women of the family went to the church with seven virgins who had to pass on knees all around the church while the old lady put candles light. If the candles had a very strong fire the ill person had sure recovered. The death in any case was considered a fatality.
You could not subtract it and when it happened, the worry was to guarantee to the dead person possibility  to return back   to avenge all wrongs suffered. Therefore during the vigil all mirrors were covered because they could catch the souls of the dead person for ever. The widows had to respect and to observe the mourning for the rest of their life while men, after death of their wife, had to wear just for one year a black  button in front and then marry again.
To presence at funeral was allowed just if invited by the family  and before the function to all invited persons  anise biscuits were offered with red wine, because it was tradition to ‘eat on the dead’. It is still common to believe the transformation of the souls of the dead persons to butterflies or moths, so called saint souls  that go to visit the persons close to the dead stopping on their shoulders and for this reason it is absolutely forbidden to chase them away of out of home