I saw many visitors at the grave yard outside of Hoi An. Saw lots of incense sticks on the graves, saw burnt objects on or near the graves (part of religious belief) Relatives obviously loved, missed and respected those they had lost. One part, one thing I saw in the graveyard thou was rather off putting.
The numerous cows and and water buffalo that feed on the grass and plant life urinate and defecate directly on the graves. The animals are are brought to the graveyard to feed and leave their excreted body fluid waste everywhere. When a cow urinates there is a lot of pee shooting off in every direction splashing on multiple graves, headstones etc. Saw that happen, not the prettiest of sights. I also had to walk carefully, not only was there the odd snake in the long grass, wet cow-pies were all over the ground in multiple locations.
Taking the animals both cows and the larger water buffalo to eat in the cemetery is probably just a result of necessity and availability as the surrounding landscape is filled with rice fields. It was probably done for practical reasons. If you have no where else to take them, then take them to where the grass grows, next to the graves. Still it seemed wrong even a bit disrespectful to have animal sh-t and pee all around and over your family members bodies-remains.
Maybe this is just my spoiled Western way of thinking coming out. This is a land where millions died in colonial-anti Frend-anticommunist-anti American-civil war. An area of the world whose history is filled with poverty, famine and deprivation. Why worry about a few cow-pies?
The numerous cows and and water buffalo that feed on the grass and plant life urinate and defecate directly on the graves. The animals are are brought to the graveyard to feed and leave their excreted body fluid waste everywhere. When a cow urinates there is a lot of pee shooting off in every direction splashing on multiple graves, headstones etc. Saw that happen, not the prettiest of sights. I also had to walk carefully, not only was there the odd snake in the long grass, wet cow-pies were all over the ground in multiple locations.
Taking the animals both cows and the larger water buffalo to eat in the cemetery is probably just a result of necessity and availability as the surrounding landscape is filled with rice fields. It was probably done for practical reasons. If you have no where else to take them, then take them to where the grass grows, next to the graves. Still it seemed wrong even a bit disrespectful to have animal sh-t and pee all around and over your family members bodies-remains.
Maybe this is just my spoiled Western way of thinking coming out. This is a land where millions died in colonial-anti Frend-anticommunist-anti American-civil war. An area of the world whose history is filled with poverty, famine and deprivation. Why worry about a few cow-pies?
