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When I saw the word for this week, I thought about R.I.P which I had seen on grave stones. As a child I didn't know what it meant because RIP in German has no meaning at all.
Later I learned that it meant "rest in peace". "Rest in peace" is a prayer that the deceased may rest peacefully, not in torment, while awaiting Judgment Day. The expression comes originally from "requiescat in pace", Latin for "may he/she rest in peace." In Italian, it is said as "Riposi In Pace." It was in Italy where I learned this meaning.
In Germany graveyards are considered as parcs and are visited by families usually on a sunday walk, even when they don't have any family members or friends laying there. Graveyards are usually very beautiful with lots of trees, bushes, plants, flowers, and banks to sit and rest. There also were beautiful and very interesting statues. As a child I used to play on the graveyard near my home in Bonn, together with my little friends. We played hide and seek behind the gravestones and always had a lot of fun. I am sure that most of the people burried there and "RIP" love to hear the children's laughter and jumping over the graves. At least I would.
Later I learned that this typical German behaviour seemed quite strange to other nationalities and that German tourists really got on the nerves of people in other countries, because they always wanted to see a graveyard and walk around there !
These are pictures of some German graveyards I found on Internet.
I love walking through cemeteries and taking pictures, also. If I ever get to Europe, that would definitely be one thing I would want to do!
ReplyDeleteHappy Manic Monday!
R.I.P.
mo
I avoid cemeteries...and I don't want to be buried in one ever. This seems like a Halloween theme...
ReplyDeleteYou can really feel at peace in a cemetery. It's all so tranquil.
ReplyDeleteI almost did the same post! ;)
ReplyDeleteThat makes sense to me. We have a big park/cemetary with a mausoleum in Glasgow which is full of wildlife and is considered a beautiful place to visit. I haven't been yet but my Mum and my boyfriend both have and say it is worth a trip.
ReplyDeleteI like strolling through very old cemetaries, reading the names & dates. The newer ones with their neat rows of plastic bouquets from WalMart don't look stroll-able to me.
ReplyDeleteCemeteries has always been among my favorite places. It is often hard to find wide spaces of greenery in a city.
ReplyDeleteGattina, nice post! I didn't know Germans like to walk around cemeteries like they would a park. Rip Van Winkle is a, American story written by Washington Irving. I don't think there is a moral to it! Ha! Requiescat in Pacem!
ReplyDeleteI love cemeteries! We have a beatiful one in Mumbles. I think to be able to play there and to laugh is healthy.
ReplyDelete