2023-10-26 10:24:38
Hundreds of people line up at the entrance to the Saint-Paul sailors’ cemetery. They move up slowly to get through the gate onto the palm tree avenue, from which beaten paths branch off to the graves. Festively dressed women wear wide floral skirts, men wear black trousers and white shirts. The children are also beautifully dressed up, the girls with lace-decorated dresses, the boys with colorful mini vests, some of them dangling from them, attached with a clip, “la tétine”, the teat. The youngest ones need it especially today, because it is an exciting day for everyone: it is All Saints Day, an important date in Reunion Island to visit the graves of loved ones, to remember the deceased, but above all to celebrate community. For some families, November 1st becomes a real cemetery marathon, as Mamie, Papi, Tonton and all the other relatives were buried in different places. Since it was not uncommon in previous generations to have six or more siblings, the second of November often has to serve as a celebration day.
For the Réunionese, attendance at the graves is obligatory because they believe that the deceased are in the cemetery on All Saints Day. That’s why they make sure that the ancients have a nice time and put out a few little things, a plate of sesame balls, a little sweet potato cake, a cup of black coffee. And candles, although they don’t last as long as all the sweets and quickly collapse at 35 degrees without any shade. It’s midsummer in the southern hemisphere. If you can afford it, buy the cemetery candles encased in red plastic; they last a little longer.
#Saints #Day #Reunion #Island #Indian #Ocean