Today is All Souls’ Day which commemorates the departed in general as opposed to yesterday All Saints’ Day which commemorates those who have attained sainthood. But strangely, the whole bunch of people went to cemeteries yesterday on Nov 1 instead of today. Probably it was because Nov 1 is usually declared a holiday.
On any ordinary day, I don’t like going to cemeteries, a childhood full of horror stories and flicks sort of ruined it all for me. Plus the reality that many cemeteries here are overcrowded with the dead. But Nov 1 makes the cemeteries overcrowded with both the living and the dead. And it is the living who pretty much completely spoil whatever remaining charm cemeteries may have. They turn what would otherwise be a solemn and somber memorial into a raucous and rowdy circus.
Besides, I like to think the dead are up in heaven rather than under the ground. Or maybe in hell, in which case I don’t want to have anything to do with them.
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