Ritual of spicing the buried body?

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

So in Luke 23:56 & 24, we read that women "went home and prepared spices and perfumes. On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb."

But what kind of a ritual are they talking about? Why would someone dig out a dead body from a grave (or a tomb) to spread spices and perfumes on it? I guess this was done before the funeral so that the body does not stink during the funeral, but what would be the point of doing it days after the burial? And also, I gather that Jewish women would not be permitted to touch and anoint dead male bodies.

Was all this perfuming a buried corpse just a plot device so that women have some reason to go to Jesus's tomb?

It wasn’t possible for them to do the anointing any earlier than they did. As the story goes, Jesus snuffed it on Friday afternoon. By the time he was taken down by Joseph and placed in the tomb, the Sabbath had either begun or was about to. Since no work could be done until after the Sabbath (sunset on Saturday), the soonest J’s body could be washed and marinated would have been Sunday morning.

And it wouldn’t have been necessary for them to touch him - both the washing and anointing are generally done by pouring the required products over the corpse.

And - like most religious rituals - there isn’t a practical purpose for this one. It isn’t done to prevent the stink, it’s done because it’s done.

Boru