Like every November 1, the cemeteries of Tenerife were filled yesterday with flowers and memories, becoming meeting points for families who, on the traditional All Saints’ Day, came to the cemeteries to pay a heartfelt tribute to their loved ones. loved ones, branching and taking care of their niches on this date so full of emotion.
The one in Santa Lastenia, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, is one of the largest and has been receiving the arrival of hundreds of people for several days now. And, according to many comments, the usual crowds of the past are no longer seen on this November 1st, but rather people are increasingly dividing their visits between the days before and after this day.
Even so, All Saints’ Day continues to be a date marked on the calendar for many people and yesterday, on a fairly hot day as has become common in recent years, many people could be seen in this cemetery of the capital, which filled the flower stalls in the area, as well as the parking lot and road access to the venue.
Mercedes is one of these thousands of people who go to the cemetery on this date to pay tribute to their loved ones with flowers: “Whenever I can I come the day before or the day after, to avoid overcrowding, although in recent years this has improved.” a lot. Before, I used to come every Saturday, and now I come on special days, like Mother’s Day or her birthday. It is a custom passed down from my parents, and it is beautiful and I feel at peace here. There are a lot of people who are a little scared of it, but not me.”
Mercedes has a lot of family in this cemetery, such as her grandparents, her mother or uncles, and also on her husband’s side. “My husband’s grandparents are here. My grandmother, my mother-in-law always tells me that she really liked a flower; That’s why I try to show her a little respect by bringing her some flowers,” she says. “Cheerful” flowers to decorate the niches: “I like the violet base and whites, yellows, oranges, but natural flowers, no dyed ones.”
Also nearby were Araceli and Carmen, cousins who usually come on special dates to pay tribute to their relatives. “We usually come on October 31, but yesterday we couldn’t, we are the ones who come for the family, and we have quite a few here, parents, grandparents, uncles… and we put flowers for everyone. It is a tradition of ours that they have always taught us and we usually come,” they explained.
José Carlos came with his niece Araceli, who was preparing some beautiful flower arrangements for her family. “I think it’s important to remember loved ones who are no longer here. I came with my niece and we came to see my mother and my father, who are her grandparents,” said José Carlos. Two different generations who are committed to maintaining the tradition, because, as he points out, “we must remember that this is not just Halloween” and the importance of moments like this in the cemetery to honor and remember loved ones.
And next to her was Ana María Arias Guigou, visiting the family pantheon, where her grandfather, Diego Guigou, who was “the founder of the Children’s Hospital,” she recalled, as well as her grandparents’ children, “who were seven, the husbands from my aunts, my parents, my five brothers and now my husband”, who died five years ago. “I came on the 14th, because it was my husband’s birthday, he would have turned 90, and afterwards, every time there is an anniversary I come to the cemetery, I like that they have flowers because it gives me satisfaction. I am a very believer and I know that they are not here, but it is their final resting place and I come and talk to them,” she explained excitedly while she arranged the flowers.
San Rafael and San Roque
Santa Lastenia is the largest cemetery in the Chicharrera capital, but it has other important ones such as San Rafael and San Roque, in the center and declared BIC, and which yesterday opened its doors on November 1 for the first time in two years , since it has remained closed due to the restoration works that have been carried out on the premises. Even so, the cemetery only opened for this All Saints’ Day, awaiting its official reopening to the general public.
The San Rafael and San Roque cemetery opened its doors in 1810 and officially closed in 1916, although in 1954 it received its last burial.
