Weekends are a great time for country adventures. The above photo was taken in the cemetery at Ai Community Church-- featured yesterday on GDP. In Greensboro, and throughout North Carolina, it is common for country churchyards to have cemeteries and old trees nearby. Fall is the time that these trees shed their leaves. On sunny days, the twigs and branches cast long, dramatic shadows on the land. If you look in the background of the above photo, you can see headstones from Ai Cemetery. It looks like it has been well maintained over the years.
As Mexico prepared to celebrate The Day of the Dead this week, you might find it interesting that historically, in the mountains of North Carolina, Decoration Day has been a longstanding tradition.* Mountain communities come together and relatives travel great distances to make sure that the graves of loved ones are cleaned. As with Day of the Dead, it is not uncommon to have dinner on the grounds of the cemetery. North Carolina writer Allan Gurganus finds cemeteries a great source of inspiration. He is said to search out names and story ideas from tombstones. Perhaps because of the desolation of the trees without leaves, fall weekends seems perfect for appreciating the beauty of old graveyards and country landscapes; with or without grave cleaning.
* read more, here. The Jabbours have written a fascinating book about Decoration Day.
Decoration Day makes me think of the French tradition of "La Toussaint" on the first of November where the French place chrysanthemums on the graves of deceased family members. It is a national holiday.
Posted by: Jane T. Mitchell | Monday, October 28, 2013 at 08:53 AM