November 2 is indubitabley the best day to visit a cemetery in Spain, designated The Day of the Dead by the Catholic church, and marked by people all over Spain filling the local cemetery with flowers.
Any cemetery, full of flowers, is beautiful and Calasparra is no exception. There will be queues of people buying the most extravagant floral displays and queues of cars at the cemetery gates, as people wait for their moment to adorn the grave of their loved ones.
There is a competitive air to the Day of the Dead these days with residents apparently wanting to outshine the neighboring graves and it has certainly become big business for florists all over Spain. However, for the visitor the scene is spectacular.
Thus the visit arranged by the local Town Hall to Calasparra Cemetery on November 2 is, not only an opportunity to get to know the history and curiosities of the cemetery, but is an opportunity to witness the extravagant floral displays now traditional on the Day of the Dead.
Meet at the Cemetery Gates at 5pm for this guided tour with Manuela Sevilla.
Sign on at the Tourist Office.
Preceding the Day of the Dead is All Saints Day on November 1: the day after Halloween and popularly known as the night of the walking dead.
The object of the November 2 celebrations, according to the Catholic Church, is to pray for the dead, but particularly the souls in purgatory so that they can stop roaming the earth and find peace.
