These graves, found in Montgomery's Oakwood Annex Cemetery, memorialize 78 British airmen who died in a training accident in Montgomery, Alabama during WWII.
Azealas in bloom in Greenwood Cemetery.
Burial Customs
The United States has a variety of burial customs, including Memorial Day, which is also known as Decoration Day. Memorial Day began in the 1860s, after the Civil War, as a way to honor those who died during the conflict. Cleaning and maintaining loved ones' graves, including by placing flowers on them, constitutes one of the primary activities associated with Memorial Day.[1]
Decorating graves with flowers is not only an American burial tradition, but a human one. Researchers have found flower remains in ancient graves, indicating a connection between dying and nature. Researchers have found fossilized pollen at Paleolithic Neanderthal and Stone Age Human grave sites, leading scientists to speculate placing flowers by burial sites is quite literally, human nature. [2]
Many cemeteries, including the ones discussed in this exhibit, are set in pastoral landscapes, conveying that the act of burial lays the deceased to rest in a peaceful setting. Cemeteries' usually tranquil environments also express a quiet beauty where visitors can mourn, honor the deceased, and reflect.