Hyderabad: All Souls’ Day, observed on Saturday, is an occasion to remember those who played a vital role in our lives and left us, said Bishop, M.A Daniel, of the Hyderabad Regional Conference.
On this day, Christians visit the graves of their loved ones and pay tributes to the dead by offering flowers and lighting candles.
A woman flew all the way from California to visit her husband’s grave. While families decorated the graves, some distributed food to the poor. “It is a very special day for us as we remember our parents and our grandparents with whom we had very great time,” said Ms Susan Sulekha, a corporate employee.
Hundreds of families were seen at the Narayanguda cemetery which is more than 275 years old. The land was donated by the Nizam and has the graves of those who fought in the Second World War. Some French and British traders who died in India are also buried here.
The cemetery earlier had some exquisitely sculpted tombs imported from Italy. They have slowly made way to accommodate new bodies due to the shortage of space. Besides, some of these graves have no visitors.
Dr Padma Rao, 82, president of the Narayanguda cemetery, points to the grave of a girl called Fanny, who was seven years old girl when she died in 1896. Her parents installed a beautiful marble statue of a little angel holding a wreath. “Her parents must have taken so much care and time to reflect their love in that stone carving,” Dr Rao said.
The grave of one Edward Henry Marrett who died in 1904 has a five-foot marble statue of women in a vale holding the cross and weeping.
