New Orleans has a culture unlike any other city in the world. The streets of New Orleans may lie on American soil, in the heart of Louisiana, but the traditions of the locals are more Caribbean than American. Food is often a great indicator of culture, and in New Orleans the cuisine is both distinctive and important. Centuries of influence from French, Spanish, Italian, African, Cuban, Native American, and Caribbean traditions have amalgamated into a culinary experience that has influenced chefs all over the world. Likewise, death and dying customs bear the mark of Native American, African and colonial influences.
Saint Louis Cemeteries
There are over 40 cemeteries in New Orleans, and all are very interesting places. Let's begin with the most historic of all, Saint Louis Cemetery. As a point of reference, three Saint Louis Cemeteries exist that are each a continuation of the previous. All burials are carried out above ground, resulting in several different styles of graves. The reason for above ground burials is purely a product of Spanish and French tradition, unlike rumours of water table problems. At the time, New Orleans was under Spanish control, thus the very Spanish tradition of wall vault burials was employed.
Saint Louis #1
Saint Louis Cemetery #1 was opened in 1789 as a replacement to the former St. Peter cemetery, which has now been dismantled. New Orleans was having some real difficulties during that era. St. Peter's Cemetery had just been filled to capacity due to a brutal yellow fever epidemic. Also, hundreds died in 1788, when a massive fire destroyed more than 80% of the city, and left many more people homeless.
When Saint Louis #1 was ready for occupancy, the bodies had already been sitting for a while and were indeed becoming a little ripe. In the rush to get everyone buried in a dignified manner, there was no time for segregating the wealthy from the poor, Europeans from Mulattos and so on. Therefore, some of the French reside next to Native American descendents, and paupers reside next to business magnates. Being Roman Catholic was In fact the only restriction for resting in Saint Louis #1, and almost everyone in the area were practicing Catholics at the time.
There is much to find that is interesting in a cemetery. Not only do they tell us the beginning and ending chapters of the deceased, but they provide a place of remembrance for those still living. As a visitor, we have the luxury of reading the dates of birth and death, then filling in the years with our own imagination. If a grave is well kept and adorned with fresh flowers, we might imagine an attentive family that is still grieving. Alternatively, gravestones left to be overtaken by plants and shrubs, are now being lost to history, as perhaps the deceased person's family has also passed on. Perhaps they recall the deceased in some other way, rather than in looking after a grave site. Many interesting wanderings can be had in various cemeteries.
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