and so veig , by then equally helpless and panicked as the stricken worshippers , had to attend the unearthings of the babies , some of whom were burned as a gesture of atonement for sins unknown , while others were taken back to their homes , where a gruesome practice had begun to surge for since the dead neither stank nor wasted away , many grieving parents , spouses and siblings kept the deceased in their homes as if they were still alive , clothing and bathing them , carrying them from room to room , putting them to sleep and sitting them at the table , and some even bringing them to the spirit home to be blessed and prayed over .