Victorian Cemetery Picnics
The Wright Way to Begin features an interesting Victorian pass time, the cemetery picnic. I know it will come as no surprise to any of you that this was largely the result of yet another dive down the research rabbit hole. Let me you what I found there.
Cemeteries in Crisis
In the 1800’s cemeteries faced a crisis. A population crisis. With increasing populations crowding into cities during the industrial revolution, and those same cities lacking proper sanitation, people died at an alarming rate. (One in three infants never saw their first birthday). Traditional church yards were overwhelmed with burials, to the point they were bursting at the seams.
The situation was so bad that in 1832 the British Parliament established seven private cemeteries that would surround the city of London. These cemeteries were promised to be “Beneficial to public morals, to the improvement of manners, but are likewise calculated to extend virtuous and generous feelings… A garden cemetery [modelled after Pere Lachaise in Paris] is the sworn foe to preternatural fear and superstition.” (Curl, 1972)
Burial in one of these garden cemeteries was a costly affair, but it was in keeping with the extravagant mourning customs the Victorians embraced in their practice of romanticizing death. These elaborate rituals helped individuals cope the unrelenting proximity of death, which often took place in the home.
Cemeteries as Public Gardens
These garden cemeteries with landscaped grounds, elaborate statuary, and family mausoleums provided picturesque escapes away from the confines of the cities and attracted families to these havens of tranquil beauty. With public parks a rarity, these rural cemeteries became a destination where people could walk, relax, children could play among the gravestones, and enjoy a picnic near their deceased loved ones. Cemeteries became so popular that guidebooks were published to direct visitors in the best places to visit and the rules of behavior to follow while visiting.
The custom died out during the turn of the 20th century as the First World War changed many of the customs surrounding death and mourning.
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Find out more about Regency Era picnics here.
References
Asbrey, C.A. A Day With The Dead – 19th Century Graveyard Picnicking. CA Asbrey. May , 2020. Accessed May 25, 2024. https://caasbrey.com/obscure-and-mysterious-victoriana/a-day-with-the-dead-19th-century-graveyard-picnicking/
Butler, Kira. Victorian Valhallas: Cemetery Picnics. The Midnight Society. March 29, 2014. Accessed. May 12, 2024. https://www.midnightsocietytales.com/2014/03/29/victorian-valhallas-cemetery-picnics/
Curl, James Stevens. 1972 The Victorian Celebration of Death
Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia, which was founded in the 1850s and is the oldest cemetery in Atlanta, resurrects the Victorian cemetery picnics every year with a major public event called ‘Sunday in the Park’. Visitors are invited to bring their famillies and spend the afternoon in the beautifully landscaped and gardened cemetery visiting mausoleums, taking horse drawn carriage rides, listening to music and storytellers, enjoying food from local vendors, playing childrens games and activities, and shopping at crafts and artisans booths. There is even an historic costume contest as visitors are invited to attend in costumes. We have gone for a number of years and have always enjoyed spending Sunday in the Park, and yes, I go in costume. 🙂