On our most recent trip to my hometown in Franconia (Northern Bavaria), we had to tend to my parents’  and aunt’s grave.

As dusk was rolling in, we were putting on the finishing touches and I noticed how well-kept every single grave looked. The flowers looked splendid, the path was clean, and then I realized it had always been this way.

Graveyard in Germany

Many graves had Stiefmütterchen (pansies), which literally translates to little step mothers.

Pansies, a.k.a. Stiefmütterchen in Germany

Additionally, it is difficult to get much work done as the graveyard, out of all places, is such a social place. Feel lonely on a Saturday evening? Go to your local cemetery, that is where you find a lot of your old friends and acquaintances. Mostly senior ones who have not connected with you on facebook yet.

I was approached by locals who would not have talked to me during my teenage years. I don’t blame them either… people come together for a common cause at the graveyard, and the connecting factor of sharing a family member’s loss overrules any other preconceived notions, at least in regards to my teenage years.

My aunt, who happened to be at the graveyard, told of her most recent visit to Norway, where most graves are covered by a slab of stone (at least the one she had been to). In the U.S.A, I saw many grave stones surrounded by grass only.

Weekly visits to care for the grave are a must-do in these villages, just like sweeping the sidewalk on Saturdays.