There
have been complaints about the brightly colored (pink, green, blue and yellow)
tombs. On this trip, in Lafayette
Cemetery there was even a bright blue statue of the Virgin Mary on top of one
of the tombs and there was also this beautiful green tomb. Other than that, the
cemetery seemed consistent with its colors.
2014 trip with Save Our Cemeteries tour guide |
St.
Louis Cemetery No. 1
While family
members are responsible for caring for family tombs in New Orleans, there are
some who might not understand how to care for a tomb or a grave marker. In
fact, Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau had her tomb *vandalized* after someone painted
it with pink latex paint in December 2013. Even if this was done with good
intentions, latex paint is potentially harmful to tombs because it does not
allow moisture to escape. As Professor Z and I know all too well about NOLA
moisture, you need breathable fabrics, cosmetics and paint!
Some pink paint
is probably what led to the final straw in restricting visitors to St. Louis
#1. Since March 2015, the Archdiocese of New Orleans requires
that cemetery visitors must be accompanied by a licensed tour guide. For now, this only applies to St. Louis
Cemetery No. 1 but eventually it will be expanded to include other cemeteries
throughout the city. This saddens me because while I love a good structured tour,
I also like to take my time taking pictures and notes. Of course without such
rules and in a place where vandalism is high, one must respect these decisions.
After all, we want the cemeteries to be around and in somewhat good condition
for future generations to enjoy.
While this post is about New Orleans
cemeteries, these concerns aren’t too far from home. Within about a mile from
my home and just a couple of days before the New Orleans vacation, I took a WoodlandCemetery tour. Woodland was founded in 1862 as a burial site for Confederate
dead and guide mentioned that there are people who upon locating newly marked
graves of Confederate soldiers while dig up the graves for artifacts. What in
the world, people!
Basically, I
have much to blog about regarding the Woodland Cemetery tour and the New
Orleans cemeteries not to mention the trip in general.
I've always wanted to go to New Orleans, and the main reason is the cemeteries lol.
ReplyDeleteIt's totally worth it and you actually need several days to cover them.
DeleteI love the colourful tombs! I'm told that pale blue known as haint blue, is good for keeping bad spirits at bay!
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to porch ceiling that certainly is a Southern tradition. Some believe that blue is a harbinger of good luck and repels haints (restless spirits who are dead). Southerners even call the ceiling paint haint blue. Haint blue can also be found on door and window frames and is said to protect the house and the occupants of the house from evil.
DeleteIntriguing post and that green tomb is certainly perky! :D That vandalism is so hard to understand, I hope those precautions can prevent acts like that in the future!
ReplyDeleteI know, it's such a frustrating thing. I suppose this boils down to our culture's disconnect from death. By some, these cemeteries are no longer seen as places that house our loved ones but they become just a space.
DeletePerky is a great word to describe that green tomb! :D It almost needs a Welcome sign :p
Welcome home ... and sorry about the native pollen and your allergies.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I also had my face in the Pom Pom pine this morning since he was ready to be pruned :D Totally worth it (Achoo! )
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