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Accepted Paper
Taking nature to the cemetery: grave types and values in a village cemetery
Agnes Hesz
(University of PécsUniversity of Ljubljana)
Based on personal narratives collected in a Northern Hungarian village, this paper explores the values, afterlife beliefs and conceptualisations of relations between the living and the dead that are linked to covered stone graves and ‘greener’ graves covered and surrounded by lush vegetation.
Paper long abstract
The idea of being laid to rest close to nature, in a forest, in a body of natural water, or at a scenic site has become increasingly popular. While some park-like cemeteries with their rich vegetation imitate the natural environment, most cemeteries in Hungary are rather unpoetic places with regulations on what could be planted on and between the graves. This is the case in the cemetery of a village in Northern Hungary, where most graves take the shape of covered concrete blocks, with stone headstones. The neat rows of these tombs, many of which have two-storied vaults beyond the ground, are only occasionally interrupted by the green spots of trees, bushes or tombs that are covered or surrounded by living flowers. The differences between the ‘greener’ graves and stone tombs are not only aesthetic. Based on personal narratives of local people, this paper explores the values, afterlife beliefs and conceptualisations of relations between the living and the dead that are linked to different types of graves.