Why do people visit cemeteries...
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Why do people visit cemeteries? What is it they expect to find? Some come armed with gardening gloves and trowel, horticulture on their minds. Others carry little gifts they plan to leave behind: mementos of a cherished relationship, or maybe a grave blanket at Christmas. They're sometimes a bit self-conscious to be seen putting these items down. They feel vaguely embarrassed by the sentimentality.
When Jews visit the graves of loved ones, they leave a stone behind. Eventually, the stones pile up, a tangible tally of the community's caring. The Japanese bring the whole family with them, and go through the ancient ritual of a tea ceremony in the presence of their ancestors. Others simply wander over to the grave and sit a spell: watching, waiting, remembering ... reading the names on the gravestones... and if it's a family plot, imagining their own place in the stone-carved genealogy of the headstones. When they leave, they somehow feel closer to the dear departed, more at peace.
Why is it Mary Magdalene visits Jesus' tomb?
When Jews visit the graves of loved ones, they leave a stone behind. Eventually, the stones pile up, a tangible tally of the community's caring. The Japanese bring the whole family with them, and go through the ancient ritual of a tea ceremony in the presence of their ancestors. Others simply wander over to the grave and sit a spell: watching, waiting, remembering ... reading the names on the gravestones... and if it's a family plot, imagining their own place in the stone-carved genealogy of the headstones. When they leave, they somehow feel closer to the dear departed, more at peace.
Why is it Mary Magdalene visits Jesus' tomb?
