In memoriam is a Latin phrase equivalent to "in memory of," referring to remembering or honoring a deceased person. Every society has mourning traditions to memorialize those who have passed. Possibly the most well known were the traditions adopted by and expanded upon during the Victorian Era. Today, the most common of those traditions is the wearing of black to a funeral. Gone are the days of Victorian etiquette, when women were expected to dress in full mourning for up to four years. 

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It was traditional, especially for gentlemen, to wear a black armband on the left arm.  Another tradition was mourning jewelry, generally worn by women, but there were pins in a variety of styles, worn also by men as a memorial for people they loved and lost.

 

Today the black armband is frequently seen worn by athletes after the passing of a team mate. 

Another mourning observance practiced among first responders is the badge mourning band, worn at designated times, including funerals and certain days of memorial.

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Another throwback to Victorian times is the  mostly lost, language of the flowers. Flower pressing, especially when arranged symbolically, was a common hobby. As well as there were symbolic flowers of love and friendship, there were also flowers typically reserved for funerary floral arrangements.