1,066. Mourning on Chol Hamoed

Shvisas Yom Tov 6:23

A casket containing a body should not be brought to rest in the street on chol hamoed so that people will not be led to eulogize the deceased. Rather, it should be taken straight from the home to the cemetery. We do not observe mourning practices on chol hamoed; during chol hamoed, one may not tear his clothes, eat the meal of consolation or bare his shoulder because he is bereaved, except for the immediate relatives whom one is required to mourn. If the deceased was a Torah scholar or a righteous person, or if one was present when someone died, then he should tear his clothes even on chol hamoed despite not being related to the deceased. We may not tear our clothes on the second day of yom tov at all, not even for immediate relatives.

Shvisas Yom Tov 6:24

On chol hamoed, women may wail but they may not bang their hands together in grief or mourn. Once the deceased has been buried, they may no longer wail. On Rosh Chodesh, Chanukah and Purim, they may wail and bang their hands together in grief before the body is interred, but they may not mourn. “Wailing” means they all cry out together, while “mourning” means that one of them calls out and the others respond. Thirty days before yom tov, one may not eulogize a person who died earlier than this. This is so that yom tov will not arrive while he is still grieving. Rather, one should remove such sadness from his heart and turn his attention towards rejoicing.