Our Rainforest Adventure: The teacher said...

we're going to the cemetery!

This is where we visited on our last field trip. A little strange? Yes, but a great place to learn about the culture and customs. So off we went, not sure what to expect. The cemetery we visited was Saint John the Baptist. It is a very old cemetery and the burial grounds for prominent people in the history of Manaus such as mayors, professors and a governor. The majority of the people buried there are of the Catholic faith. Most of the plots have a little house over them; a place to put pictures, statues and candles. In one house we saw a bicycle and helmet.

An interesting fact - if you want to be buried in the same plot with your family members there must be at least 7 years between the deaths. After seven years they will dig up the grave, put the bones in a sack and bury the next person in the same spot.

Evangelicals here are not preoccupied with death like some of the other religions here. They have a small service and of course a burial. They may build a little house, but they don't go back and visit the gravesite after the person has died and they don't leave candles, food, and other things to "help" in the after life. They celebrate LIFE! (An explanation on that subject an other time)

This is not a common burial ground, and actually this cemetery is full; unless you are waiting be buried on top of someone else. We have yet to visit the mass burial grounds for those that don't have money for a plot.

And since we were already there, it was decided to go ahead and have our class there as well. We got to practice our portugues on the dead! We sat on a bench and worked away just like it was the most normal thing to do.

Next to the cemetery we were visiting was a Jewish cemetery. We were not allowed to enter, so we just took a picture over the fence. It was interesting - I don't know the burying customs of their faith, but most of the tombs had small white stones on them in clusters.