How to Arrange Cemeteries: Rock Concerts Are Not Planned in Latvia's Burial Grounds for Now

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Municipalities in Latvia will be able to declare cemeteries "closed" if there are "no available places for burials," according to paragraph 3 of article 3 of the new Cemetery Law. Local authorities are gaining greater powers in providing funeral services to the population.

Self-governments will be required to maintain an electronic register of burials with maps, numbering of graves, as well as personal data of the deceased, including their personal codes. It only seems that these bureaucratic nuances, which have blessed the free republic for more than 30 years, are no longer needed on the other side...

Economic entities, in this case, the city and district councils, are obligated to: "Care for the graves of the deceased without ownership and unidentified deceased, as well as the graves whose rights of use have been taken away from the holders due to neglect..."

Residents of the respective administrative unit have priority burial rights in the municipal cemetery; it is also possible to fulfill the deceased's free will (for example, if they wished to return to their homeland after death); reservation of places is also anticipated. Well, this, of course, again depends on the degree of occupancy of a particular necropolis.

Whose Church Will It Be

The widespread stereotype that, if anything, people in this country know how to take care of graves is actually not so unambiguous. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many discussions regarding the Cemetery Law, which is currently being approved in the Latvian parliament.

• "The cemetery is located on the self-government's land, and there are buildings on it that belong to another person," said Oleg Burow (an independent deputy), chairman of the Commission on State Administration and Self-Governments, about a conflict situation.

For example, in the picturesque seaside village of Jūrmala, there is a cemetery, and on it, a Catholic church. On the other hand, in Ventspils, there is a chapel in the municipal cemetery. For a moment – a funeral enterprise of the self-government!

And in Riga, the deputy reported, there is such a cemetery as Jekaba – and on it, there is a church that is not registered in the Land Register. That is, according to him, an "illegal structure."

By the way, for the politician's information, in 2019-20, the person who held the position of Riga's mayor – the Riga Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church has a quite official address, Meness Street 1. It has a long and glorious history – the stone chapel was built in the midst of the Great French Revolution, in 1793. In 1886, its reconstruction was completed according to the project of the Baltic German architect Otto von Sivers (1836-1909, the official architect of the Livonian nobility). After the voluntary-compulsory repatriation of local Baltic Germans in 1939, the lovely church was vandalized, and a coffin-making workshop was placed in it. Thanks to the efforts of former residents of Riga living in Germany and their descendants, the revival of the church began 30 years ago. But, apparently, a threat is hanging over it again?

Creative People

"Of course, we can approach it creatively," the deputy clarified. However, representatives of the Legal Bureau concluded that self-governments should issue binding rules explaining how and to whom these churches, chapels, etc. belong. After all, the confession is very important for saying goodbye to loved ones.

• "I think there is no problem," said deputy Ingmars Lidaka. "The presence of a church in the cemetery does not change the purpose for which the cemetery is intended. What, will they hold rock concerts there? We create problems ourselves and think about how to solve them."

• "Well, how many of these cult buildings are there," skeptically remarked deputy Andrejs Celapietrs (elected from the "New Unity" list, now non-affiliated).

"We Are Normal, We Live in Society"

I. Lidaka further stated that the Saeima wants to over-regulate such a natural thing as saying goodbye to the deceased.

• "We know that you cannot spit on the streets," said the deputy. "I think there is a self-government police that is capable and can assess what a person is doing in the cemetery, how they are behaving. And if someone, having drunk, starts singing songs there, then everything is quite clear. We should not write this into binding rules."

There is still some leeway for understanding – for example, can you or can't you bring dogs? In particular, the Great Cemetery (and the Jekaba cemetery included in it), which has officially been turned into a park, contains several dozen graves of famous Latvian figures: Krišjānis Barons, Krišjānis Valdemārs, Andrejs Pumpurs. But at the same time, dog owners walk their pets there without punishment! So, it turns out to be a hybrid sanctuary...

Nationalist Uģis Mitrevics also pointed out that a large green area, practically in the center of Riga, is often used for running, orienteering, and other sports events. And, by the way, nearby, there is an active (private) Pokrovskoe cemetery, where burials are also taking place. U. Mitrevics himself, during his time as mayor of Sigulda, was forced to make a decision to limit cycling on the street leading between two cemeteries...

Tying Toes, Wrapping in a Shroud

In the view of your author, the deputies of the Saeima are still not looking sufficiently into the future. For example, they should have considered the gradual, but inevitable change in the ethnic-confessional composition of the population of Latvia. And if currently, the overwhelming majority of newcomers from "third countries" are young and healthy, then, due to the inevitable course of life, in a few decades, the question of farewells will reasonably arise.

In this regard, let us point out the main aspects of Hindu funerals in Europe:

Funerals are attempted to be conducted as quickly as possible, usually within 24–48 hours after death. The body is washed, oils (sandal) are applied, dressed in simple clothing, often white, wrapped in a shroud, and the big toes are tied. The farewell ceremony takes place in the crematorium. Mantras are sung, sacred texts are read, and flowers are laid. Unlike in India, the body is not burned on an open pyre but is placed in a coffin, which is burned together with the body. After cremation, relatives receive an urn. In Europe, ashes are often scattered in designated places or, following tradition, transported for immersion in the Ganges. Traditional mourning lasts for 13–30 days, during which memorial rites are held.

The question of a special place where the ashes of the followers of Shiva and Vishnu will be scattered will obviously also be determined by the self-government of Riga. Probably, by that time, there will already be a corresponding faction there.