"Decoration"

I came to realize after leaving the south when I married my husband and we went off for 20 years of military service, what a unique southern tradition this is.

For those of you unfamiliar with the term as it is used here in the south, it refers to the yearly tradition of putting flowers on the graves of family members and it's done on the same Sunday each year. It is for the majority, done in the spring months of May and June. So now it is a normal site to drive along and see lots of vibrantly colored flowers covering an entire cemetery. Most of the flowers are artificial but there are those very few that are fresh.

Now, growing up here in the deep south I thought that was a normal tradition done across the country. Not until I left Alabama and moved to our first duty station did I learn that it is very much indeed a "peculiarity indigenous to the region" and that it is basically an Alabama/Mississippi and a few spots in Tennessee tradition that I am aware of. (I suspect maybe some of Kentucky as well).

I now see it as the unique and yes, somewhat peculiar tradition that it is. I must admit though that I find the respect, remembrance and loyalty of the act quite refreshing in this era of mostly digital filled contact. I think all of us could learn a few lessons of respect, valuing family ties and personal contact from this intriguing tradition.

Rhonda