Cemetery picnic: how our immigrants instilled strange traditions into the Americans

For many people, a cemetery is associated exclusively with a place of sadness and mourning. But in the United States, only a century and a half ago, real picnics were held in cemeteries. And here young people met, relatives communicated with each other, and they simply went to dinners arranged on family plots with the graves of the dead. This tradition was especially popular in the late XNUMXth and early XNUMXth centuries. Writes about it "Cultural Studies".

Фото: Depositphotos

Cemetery as a recreation area

In the XNUMXth century in the United States, people often gathered in cemeteries to relax and have lunch in peace. One of the reasons for choosing such an exotic place of rest was simple: at that time in many municipalities there simply were no proper places for recreation, and the territory of the cemeteries was always well-groomed and really looked like modern parks. Only with numerous tombstones on the territory.

In Dayton (Ohio), women could decently wave their umbrellas, strolling between the graves on the way to their site in the Forest Cemetery. And in New York, residents slowly walked through the churchyard of St. Paul (Lower Manhattan), carrying in their hands baskets filled with all sorts of food.

The second reason for the appearance of the “fashion fad” was more sad: at that time, epidemics of various diseases raged in the country, there was a high infant mortality rate, and often women could not bear childbirth. Death was such a frequent visitor in many families that only in the cemetery people could calmly talk and dine with their family or friends. At the same time, they "visited" the deceased relatives.

Family members came to celebrate Thanksgiving with the deceased father or to bring gifts to the cemetery on Mother's Day. They took not only sandwiches and other snacks with them, but even spirit lamps to be able to boil tea or coffee.

historical precedent

Whereas in the cities old cemeteries were usually located in the territory belonging to the church, then new resting places appeared outside the city and were designed as beautiful parks that had a rest.

On the subject: How the American cemetery differs from ours: the experience of an immigrant

Already at that time, the United States attracted immigrants, for whom the commemoration of the deceased in the cemetery was a national tradition. It was widespread: in Russia and Germany, in Guatemala, Greece and other countries, where today it is customary on holidays and special remembrance days to eat food with the dead.

Many older Americans considered this tradition a “terrible celebration” and real barbarism. But young Americans continued to picnic in the cemetery. True, a little later the question arose about proper behavior in places of rest.

Фото: Depositphotos

Cemetery etiquette

The widespread tradition led to the fact that many cemeteries were literally littered with garbage, and in some cases even police intervention was required in order to pacify too amused amateurs of this kind of entertainment.

True, there were also supporters of hanging out at the cemetery, especially noting the optimism of people who find reason for joy even in such sad circumstances. From the participants of the picnics, only decent behavior and thorough garbage collection were required.

On the subject: How the American cemetery differs from ours: the experience of an immigrant

However, over time, the tradition of having picnics in a place of sorrow became less and less popular. Medicine stepped forward, mortality decreased significantly, and parks and squares appeared in the cities where you can have real family holidays, meetings with friends and relatives, and decent catering establishments have become more common and accessible to the population.

Nevertheless, in some cities in the United States you can still have a picnic in the cemetery, observing the same simple rules: decent behavior and cleaning up the trash. Failure to comply with at least one of them can lead to serious punishments that will affect all participants in the “sweet” celebration.

It is worth remembering that such a pastime is allowed on the territory of far from every cemetery, and this applies more to places where the family members of those whose relatives once came from countries with traditional commemoration of relatives at their graves are laid to rest.

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