Day of the Dead: A Stroll through the Catalan Cemeteries

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catalan cemeteries titel

 

Celebrate the Day of the Dead by strolling through cemeteries

Most of us are familiar with the Mexican celebration of Day of the Dead, yet it is also celebrated in other parts of the world.  In two weeks, the French cemeteries will have their yearly peak of visitors: All Saints Day and Day of the Dead (1st and 2nd of November) are usual days of devotion and remembrance for our beloved deceased.

Strolling through the cemetery of Céret, France, between the graves and the family vaults, or startling my grand-mother by hidding behind one of them, was a common occurence in my childhood. We often walked to the graveyard -located on the other side of our neighbourhood- to clean my grand-father’s grave and nurse the plants. I never knew him because he died in 1966. But the stories my granny told me and “visiting his grave” helped me to feel “close” to him.

Entering a cemetery never made me afraid. I would even say that I like that! I can’t see them only as a place of Death, but more like a bridge between those who live in this world and those who followed the path to another one. That’s why I enjoy the idea of the Dia de los Muertos festival and I would love to visit Mexico during this celebration.

I miss these days maintaining the graves of my ancestors or distant relatives. I live too far away to be able to sweep the marble, to water the chrysanthemum or the begonias, and wash the gilded inscription. And most of all to speak with them, to sit on the stone or stand near it, while telling them my life and all the things happening in the family, asking them what was their life, their era, etc. I know, some of you will think that I’m crazy… Well, I’m a firm Christian believer, so for me my words are heard.

In Catalunya, we can find in the cemeteries a peculiar kind of family vault or/and personal grave, that has choked some of my foreign friends. Which one? The “above-ground and open to the allee” vaults.

Here are a few examples of these vaults. I took the pictures during a sunny autumn day in the cemetery of Céret, Pyrénées-Orientales, France (in the old cemetery and its adjunction).

Céret cemetery family vaults
Family vaults, cemetery of Céret. Between each vault, there’s always a small space so that it can be cleaned (or play hide-seek…) The family vault have between 1 to 8 niches. Sometimes one niche can have more than one “inhabitant”. The rests of the first dead are put in the back to make place for the coffin of the new deceased. So, a whole family can be together even in death. For me who believe that family can be together forever, it’s a concept I like.

 

cimetière Céret 2
An allee with graves and vaults. Céret’s cemetery.

 

cimetière Céret 3
You know of the colombariums where the ashes are kept? Well, in this case, it’s the whole coffin which is kept. The town built these to offer a cheaper but respectful alternative to the personal graves. The will of the deceased is respected (inhumation and not cremation) but the cost is not as huge as for a single grave or a family vault.

 

My grand-parents' grave. My daughter did the same thing as I did in my youth: she hide behind the vaults. For a long time, only the left place was occupied by my grand-father's grave. When my grand-mother had enough savings, she joined the two places. Now she rests on the right side. And my mother has already claimed the small space used for the flowers to put her ashes urne there... I have noted that the names and years of birth and deathare written on the top of the graves, while in other regions of France it's on the side (for my paternal grand-father or my husband's family...)
My grand-parents’ grave. My daughter did the same thing as I did in my youth: she hide behind the vaults.
For a long time, only the left place was occupied by my grand-father’s grave. When my grand-mother had enough savings, she joined the two places. Now she rests on the right side. And my mother has already claimed the small space used for the flowers to put her ashes urne there…
I have noted that the names and years of birth and deathare written on the top of the graves, while in other regions of France it’s on the side (for my paternal grand-father or my husband’s family…)

In the old cemetery, we had to explain to our children the purpose of the “squares”: the one for the soldiers of WWI or WWII, the one for the children, etc. The graves of the children deeply touched them and then a talk about death/dying occurred.

"Carré" of the children.
“Carré” of the children.

 

Old cemetery, Céret
Old cemetery, Céret

 

All around the walls of the cemetery, you can find most of the oldest graves and vaults. The tradition during the 19th century and before was to surround them with wrought iron. The tiles you can see behind belong to the middle-school. I remember how some of my friends were nervous to be near a graveyard...
All around the walls of the cemetery, you can find most of the oldest graves and vaults. The tradition during the 19th century and before was to surround them with wrought iron.
The tiles you can see behind belong to the middle-school. I remember how some of my friends were nervous to be near a graveyard.

 

Céret, Old cemetery.
Céret, Old cemetery.

 

The tall cypress bring calm and grandeur to the place. Cypress are the traditional tree of the Mediterranean cemeteries. It comes from a greek mythological legend.
The tall cypress bring calm and grandeur to the place. Cypress are the traditional tree of the Mediterranean cemeteries. It comes from a Greek mythological legend.

 

Old graves
Old graves

 

It seems that it's the oldest grave of the cemetery.
It seems that it’s the oldest grave of the cemetery.

Here are some other Catalan cemeteries:

 

Reynès 2012 07 19 02
Cimetière de Reynès, photo de Bertrand Grondin.

 

Ur - Croix (2)
Cimetière de Ur. Photo de Selbymay.

 

Coustouges 2013 07 18 37 M6
Cimetière médiéval de Coustouges. Photo: Bertrand Grondin.

The most impressive cemeteries are the ones in Southern Catalunya and especially those in Barcelona. Two cemeteries of Barcelona -Poblenou and Montjuïc- have free guided tours each Sunday mornings. Montjuïc is magnificent as you can see in the video below or in this blog post from At Home in a foreign land.

An ingenious solution for clean energy has been found in Barcelona’s suburb: solar panels have been set up on the roof of the high vaults! These pictures show how high they are.

I will end my post with introducing you to a french website on the topic “Cemeteries in France or from abroad“. The post about the cemeteries in Barcelona is so interesting! (pictures and historical facts) If you have questions about a cemetery, Mr Landru, the author of the site and professor of History, may have the answers.

I wish you all to celebrate with love and kind memories your beloved deceased. And if you walk by a graveyard, don’t shudder! Take a peek, history is right there!

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Eolia Disler

As a French woman living in Germany with her husband and her three young children, Eolia enjoys to discover the German way of life while keeping her cultural French roots alive for her family. She blogs about her passions, her faith and what she discovers around her at La Cité des Vents.

1 thought on “Day of the Dead: A Stroll through the Catalan Cemeteries”

  1. Laura P.

    Wow, I did not realize that Day of the Dead is celebrated in France. I do recognize those cypress trees though – so many where I used to live in Granada, Spain.

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