Welcome to Tui Snider's Cemetery News: 

Greetings, fellow tombstone tourists! If you're new here, welcome, and if you're not, great to see you again. :) 

This issue features:

1) Where's Tui?

2) Here's Why Xmas is Not Disrespectful 

3) Cemetery Honors Chinese Immigrants

4) Vatican Unearths Ancient Underground Cemetery 

(Any questions? Please know that hitting "reply" to this email is the best way to reach me.)

1) Where's Tui? I'm currently exploring historic cemeteries around the globe. Since my last newsletter, I found my wings in Taiwan, as you can see in the photo. I also visited a headhunting tribe’s Skull Hut in Borneo, Thailand’s Grand Temple, and much more. 

I am learning so much on this trip and doing my best to share it with you folks.

Of course, I saw a few cute kitties along the way! (You know me…) The photo below shows a cat basking on a monument to the many civilians who were killed during WWII in Manila. Their ashes are interred here, and locals still burn candles at the site in their honor. 

If you want to more details as well as photos, drop by my travel blog. (The posts are divided by months, so choose a month and dig in!) 

Would you like a monthly postcard from me featuring historic cemeteries and interesting sites from my world travels? 

If so, check out my Patreon page. 

You can also follow my public Patreon posts for free or become a patron if you would like to support my creative journey.

2) Xmas is Ancient Christian Shorthand: Did you know that “Xmas” is a perfectly respectful shorthand for “Christmas”? In fact, “Xmas” traces its origins back to ancient religious scribes - who were Christian. 

You may have noticed, however, that many people have the mistaken idea that Xmas is disrespectful. Some even claim that "Xmas takes Christ out of Christmas," which couldn't be further from the truth. 

I've written an article called Did you know? “Xmas” is NOT a Disrespectful Way to Spell “Christmas." Please share it with your friends so we can clear this matter up. 

And even though it's only December 1st, Merry Xmas to you! 

3) Cemetery Honors Chinese immigrants: One of Portland, Oregon’s oldest operating cemeteries is the final resting place for Chinese immigrants from the 1800s, “But those gravesites were never intended to be a final resting place. After a period of time, often many years the bones would be dug up, cleaned and placed in a metal box with the deceased person’s name and home village indicated on it, for repatriation and reburial in ancestral plots.”

Except, that’s not quite what happened… To read the full article, visit this link. The article talks about Chinese cemetery symbols, too. I highly recommend reading it.

4) Vatican Unearths Ancient Underground Cemetery — and now it’s open to the public: A new section of an important historic burial site beneath Vatican City is open to the public for the first time. The Vatican’s museums network now offers guided tours of a new section underneath Vatican City. The necropolis, or the “city of the dead” as it is often called, dates to the fourth century AD. It contains an array of remains from both “slaves” and “freedmen,” as well as “artisans of the city of Rome.”

I know what I'm doing next time I visit Rome!