Maricarmen and Rosa (69 and 66 years old) have been among the first people to access the Toledo cemetery this Tuesday, November 1, carrying in their arms laying bouquets of flowers that they have deposited in the family tomb. They, who currently reside in the town of Nambroca, have returned to the holy field to remember what happened two years ago, in full pandemic virulence, when the fragile health of his father, José Luis, could not prevent him from becoming infected with Covid -19. Death enveloped this family and with it pain and sadness are faithful companions of these sisters.
They repeat in unison that they are sad, while tears flow again. And they remember that the death of their father has marked their familiarization. Her mother's mind, in a wheelchair, confuses what happened that day of her funeral with the time her husband José Luis lived. While they clean the grave with a brush, they are grateful for the silence that dominated the place in those early hours of the morning.
On the occasion of the celebration of All Saints' Day, the cemeteries of Castilla-La Mancha have registered a massive influx of visitors along this bridge. Many Castilian-La Mancha wanted to get ahead and avoid traffic jams. The day of this Tuesday has been marked by the low influx of public, despite the fact that they have enabled more parking lots and the buses have been touring the city since 8.00:XNUMX am.
Julio Rubio (76 years old) and his wife, Hilaria (Hilary, repeats between laughs) go slowly to the exit of the holy field, after having been with their loved ones. They say that they arrived at 11.00:XNUMX a.m. and what they have missed the most is the low influx of public and, above all, young people. “They no longer believe in it. The only thing he thinks about is having the best car, the best house", says Julio, while recommending that the elderly enjoy "everything in life because the essence of the family has been lost", he assures while grabbing his wife's arm to return to his house, located in the neighborhood of the polygon of Toledo.
The holy field was filled this Tuesday with flowers to honor all the deceased H. FRAILE
While María Luisa (56 years old) takes pains to cut the cloth flowers, María Ángeles cleans one of the five graves that they are going to visit and in which some of their loved ones rest. Her grandparents, her father, a friend, a neighbor and uncles, to whom they want to pay tribute and for this reason they have preferred to get up early to "talk with her relatives" and avoid crowds. One complaint: the prices of flowers -both natural and artificial-, which, as in the rest of the products in the family basket, have raised their prices taking advantage of the festivity.
most expensive flowers
A few meters further on, Pedro and his family leave around the niche that the family owns in the Toledo cemetery. He confesses with some nostalgia that he hopes to see the thousands of people who come to this venue every year. Far away are the crowds and not being able to park. He says that the buses were empty and it was only realized that it was All Saints' Day by the calendar. He repeats that this tradition will be lost over the years, because young people have another vision of death.
For their part, some of the florists who have settled on the outskirts of the Campo Santo for four days have also complained about the lack of visitors on this bridge. He insists that they have been forced to increase the prices of flowers by up to 15 percent, due to the increase in many of the materials. Recognize that this 2022 is not being the same as in the years before the pandemic and that the few buyers opt to buy roses, daisies and carnations.
Dignification of the patios
For her part, the mayoress of Toledo, Milagros Tolón, who has visited the cemetery of this city on the occasion of All Saints' Day, also to participate in the religious celebration presided over by the archbishop, Francisco Cerro. She has advanced that the dignity of patios will continue in successive phases with new investments in 2023.
Toulon has had words of gratitude for the employees of the cemetery and has recalled the "most complicated" moments ever experienced due to the Covid-19 pandemic in which they demonstrated "professionalism and sensitivity to match the circumstances, for this reason They deserve our recognition."
As reported by the consistory, the municipal manager has also highlighted the investments that the government team has carried out to improve the municipal cemetery for a value of 1,5 million euros, a space that, as indicated, brings together the sensitivities of the Toledo families which loved ones rest in it.
The dignification of patios, as he explained, will continue in successive phases with new investments in 2023, in addition to other projects already carried out such as the recovery of the roof and the facade of the main warehouse, the improvement of warehouses and changing rooms for operators, the recovery of the drinking water sources, the repair of the cubicles of the chapel, the improvement of the gardens of the main entrance and the works of the re-roofing of the entrance portico.
grave geolocator
On the other hand, in Ciudad Real this week the new function of geolocation of graves of the city cemetery has been presented, which has been integrated into the Citizen Card APP. It is available in updates for Android, and shortly also in IOs, and allows you to locate with your simple data, as long as you have approximately 10.000 graves that you can refer to, quickly, allowing you to locate your relatives without the problems usual that can occur in a cemetery, the city council has reported in a statement.
Entering the Citizen Card App, there is a new tab called 'Sepulturas Finder'. Clicking on it, opens a form that requests 4 simple data. Number, First Surname, Second Surname and Year of Death and, then, they will allow to know the exact place where the grave is located.
In Albacete, the councilor Emilio Sáez, has indicated that the time has come for the City Council to draw up and implement a master plan for the Nuestra Señora Virgen de los Llanos cemetery, "an installation that requires an in-depth X-ray to act properly integral and not attending only the most urgent needs that are presented to us”.
During his visit to the capital on the occasion of All Saints' Day, he indicated that his proposal is that this director's plan be drawn up with a four-year calendar so that it can be developed progressively and with the necessary budget, taking into account that it has an area of more than 200.000 square meters.
"That master plan, which must be for recovery, restoration, maintenance and conservation", must be valued in the decision note of the consistory.
