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Welcome to Tui Snider's Cemetery News:
Happy New Year, fellow tombstone tourists! If you're new here, welcome, and if you're not, great to see you again. :) The photo at the top is from my recent visit to the world's largest Buddhist temple. Borobudur as it is called, was buried beneath volcanic ash
for centuries before being rediscovered in the 1800s. These days it's one of Indonesia's UNESCO World Heritage sites, and is considered one of the wonders of the world (depending on who's list you read.) While not a burial site, Borobudur was helpful for the many examples of mudras depicted by the
504 statues of Buddha displayed there. Mudras are the symbolic hand gestures from Buddhist teachings. I'm learning so much on this trip and look forward to sharing it with you in articles, presentations, and
books! Speaking of, I've got lots more to share in this issue, so keep reading!
In this newsletter: 1) New Year's Eve Party - In a Cemetery! 2) New York’s Most Underrated Landmark 3) Cemetery Artist
in Residence Needed 4) Humor: Amazon Casket Reviews 5) Cemetery Fashion: Famous Statue Sighted in Indonesia Any questions, comments, or things to share? Please know that hitting "reply" to this email is the best way to reach me.
1) New Year's Eve Party - In a Cemetery! In Talca, Chile many locals spend the night by the graves of their loved ones. They light candles, eat food, and keep vigil as
the new year dawns. This unusual tradition started in 1995 when grieving family members broke into the burial ground. Rather than ban the practice, the cemetery decided to keep the gates open on New Year's Eve. In recent years, it's become a popular tradition. I think it sounds meaningful and fun. How did you ring in the New Year? And have you ever spent the night in a cemetery or participated in a cemetery festivity such as Dia de los Muertos? (I spent the night in a cemetery once, but that was due to an explosion at a fish-sticks factory, and nothing of cultural importance!)
2) New York’s Most Underrated Landmark: Guess what was just deemed the most underrated landmark in New York? If you guessed Brooklyn’s Green-Wood
Cemetery, give yourself a treat. I've never visited this historic burial ground, but I'm on their newsletter. Green-Wood is a great example of my old saying that, "Cemeteries are for the living," because they regularly host events, everything from historic tours to live music. Not to mention the gorgeous landscaping. Have you ever been to Green-Wood Cemetery? Hit reply and tell me all about it. (photo above (c) Green-Wood Cemetery) 3) Cemetery Artist in Residence: Speaking of Green-Wood Cemetery, it is
currently accepting applications for a 2024 - 2025 Artist in Residence. "The residency program provides the selected creator with a studio space, an $8,000 honorarium as well as crucial access to the Green-Wood grounds and its expert staff." If you live in the New York area, this might be a wonderful opportunity for you! 4) Review of Amazon Caskets [Funny] If you need a laugh, these reviews for caskets on Amazon are really quite amusing! (Thanks to newsletter reader Sarah M. for sending me this link.)
5) Cemetery Fashion: Famous Statue Sighted in Indonesia Since my last newsletter, I continued exploring burial grounds in Southeast Asia. Cemeteries are prone to fashion trends, just like
other aspects of humanity. As a result, replicas of certain statues can be found all over the world. I recently sighted a “Monteverde Angel” replica in Indonesia. Definitely the most far-flung example of that famous statue I have personally encountered!
The original “Angel of Resurrection”sculpted by Giulio Monteverde in 1882 resides in Genoa, Italy. I saw it in person last year, but I’ve also seen copies in France, Portugal, England, and even two burials grounds in Texas (Galveston and Austin.) Have you seen a Monteverde "Angel of Resurrection"? If so, hit reply and tell me where. Even better if you have photos! Unfortunately, I could only take photos of this Indonesian replica through our car window. According to our cab driver, the cemetery was too dangerous for us to walk around. “No stopping. Sorry, sorry,” he apologized. “Not safe. Criminals living here. Poor people living here. Not safe for you. Not safe for me,” he added with a laugh. If you want to know more about my Monteverde Angel sightings, drop by my travel blog posts: Surabaya Cemeteries and Genoa's Monumental Cemetery.
Do you have something to share? If you have something cemetery-related to share, drop by Tui Snider's Cemetery News on
Facebook. It's a friendly group where cemetery enthusiasts can share links, photos, articles, questions, experiences, and other related info while having conversations and making friends. Even though I'm traveling, I still pop in as much as I can. That's all for now! Until next time, if you have any questions or comments, hit reply or email me at [email protected] It's the easiest way to reach
me. Ciao for now!
~Tui p.s. It may take several
days, but I answer every email I get from newsletter readers! If you think yours has slipped through the cracks, please send it again. Sometimes they get lost, or I miss them.
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