Hello all,
Yesterday I went with some of my class to visit Cuenca's cemetery. This was a great cultural experience for me. We visited this place for Day of the Dead / All Saints' Day (Spanish: Día de los Muertos y Día de los Difuntos). This place was beautiful. Families brought bright bouquets of flowers and other adornments to illuminate the already grand headstones. I was really moved with the amount of respect people have for their loved ones who have passed on. The perfectly cut marble, the intricately embossed letters of gold, and other religious artifacts like the powerful crucifix were magnificent. No matter what religious or other beliefs you may hold, death is a part of life, like two sides of a coin, and everyone can relate as human beings and find some common ground on this topic.
This cemetery was packed with people. Entire families dressed up and came to pay their respects to, and reminisce about, their family members, friends, and other loved ones. Mass was held in one of the openings near the center of the cemetery. There was a priest, some helpers, and musicians. They were encircled by the crowd that attended the mass. Many people wore black, as appears to be the tradition in the United States, as well. Some of the older women also seemed to pair nice white shirts with long purple or blue skirts, while the younger generation wears clothes of a more casual variety (this is not to say they have any less respect for the deceased), such as blue jeans and a T-shirt. I enjoyed going to the cemetery that morning. Seeing people cleaning the glass and walls of their loved ones' mausoleums made me appreciate the human race more that day. I'm glad people remember their loved ones and pay respect to them. I think it's the right thing to do. Even though I don't know them personally, it makes me proud. I didn't take any photos out of respect for the deceased and their families. I didn't want to make the cemetery a novelty for this blog, only to speak of it with the utmost respect.
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