In the northern part of Romania, in the town of Săpânța, there is one of the most peculiar attractions in Europe – the Merry Cemetery (Cimitirul Vesel). It is not the usual burial place we know and are used to. Instead of the typical tombstones and serious epitaphs, here you will see wooden crosses in intense, colourful colours, decorated with scenes from the lives of the deceased and poems that often tell the story of their lives with a wink. This is a place where death meets humour and distance, and the impression it makes on visitors is unique and memorable for a long time.
The history of the Merry Cemetery began in 1935, when local artist Stan Ion Pătraș carved the first colourful tombstone, which in time became famous for its unique style. Pătraș devoted his entire life to creating wooden tombstones in the form of naïve art, characterised by simplicity and sincerity. He decorated each cross with an intense blue colour, known as ‘Săpânța blue’ (albastru din Săpânța), which symbolises hope and freedom. After Pătraș’s death, his work was continued by Dumitru Pop Tincu, who continues to sculpt more ‘cheerful’ epitaphs. The drawing and text that will appear on the tombstone is decided by the sculptor, but he tries to consult with the family beforehand so that the content best characterises the deceased. Today, there are more than 800 tombstones in the cemetery and the site has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in Romania.
Chainwit., CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Each of the gravestones in the Merry Cemetery is a kind of tribute to the deceased, but not in the traditional form. The wooden crosses are decorated with scenes from the lives of the deceased – here we can see farmers at work, seamstresses at the machine, shepherds in the pastures, and even tractor drivers and postmen. These drawings capture the essence of the daily activities and character of the person who rests under the gravestone.
Humorous epitaphs are posted below, telling the lives of the deceased in the first person. It is they themselves, with a wink, who talk about their lives, their profession or even their faults. Many times, these peculiar works of art are painted on both sides to also present information in a sarcastic way about the causes of death, such as car accidents, drownings and even lightning strikes. In addition to the intense blue colour, each of the gravestones is decorated with other colours that have their own meaning. Yellow symbolises the sun and fertility, red is passion and fire, white is the symbol of the soul and black is death and jealousy. In this way, each cross becomes not only a grave, but also a work of art that tells the story of the buried person’s life.
Here are two examples of epitaphs on the tombstones of the Merry Cemetery:
“I am Mihaju, son of Mihai. When I was driving my car I was in serious trouble and ended my life in the village of Sarasan. There a bad fate caught up with me when I skidded and hit a tree ending my life abruptly. And now I say to you, dear parents: do not continue the rest of your life in sorrow. After all, you gave me good advice. I am guilty of speeding myself. I should not have been driving so fast. And now I see what I did, and that I am rotting in the ground. I lived 20 years, I died in 1994.”
“I fell asleep in 1939. I lived 49 years, and here’s what I want to say. My name was George Basului and as long as I lived I sacrificed many sheep to prepare good meat. Good meat – that’s not a lie, you can eat it like a king. I gave you the fattest meat you could enjoy.”
Over the years, the Merry Cemetery began to attract more and more interest, eventually becoming one of Romania’s biggest tourist attractions. In summer, when tourists throng the country, the place is bustling with life. Although it is a cemetery, the atmosphere there is full of life, joy and distance from death. In 1999, the Merry Cemetery was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, further emphasising its uniqueness.
There is no traditional Day of the Dead in Romania. Families choose the date themselves to commemorate their loved ones. On that day, they attend a service that lasts about three hours, bringing with them food, such as kutia, and wine. After the service, they visit the cemetery, light candles and share the food they have brought with family or random people.
The Merry Cemetery in Săpânța is a place that turns our traditional idea of death and mourning upside down. Instead of solemnity, the cemetery offers epitaphs full of colour, humour and detachment that remind us that life, even when it is over, can be remembered with a smile.
Source: gorydlaciebie.pl, funeral.carmen.lublin.pl
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