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Welcome the rise of the digital cemetery this All Hallows
The town of Águilas is preparing its municipal cemeteries for this All Saints’ Day
Towns all around Spain are busy preparing their graveyards – not for Halloween but pulling up weeds and cleaning them in preparation for when an influx of people will visit to lay flowers on the graves of their loved ones, as is customary in Spain on the November 1 All Hallows holiday.
In the town of Águilas, though, those preparations are taking on a decidedly modern twist as the Town Hall brings the cemetery into the 21st century with the help of digitisation.
“In addition to the usual cleaning and clearing of the plots and maintenance work based on minor works and painting, this year we have added other improvements, all with the clear aim of beautifying the cemetery and making it a more pleasant place for people who visit their loved ones,” said the Mayor of Águilas, Mari Carmen Moreno.
These improvements include work to digitise the archives of the local Municipal Cemetery, allowing people to access “the exact location of all the tombstones, so that they can quickly locate a grave”.
It is also foreseen that this will help to serve as a source of information for municipal workers who care for the cemetery year-round.
In addition, work has already begun on the extension of the Águilas cemetery which will increase its size by more than 7,000 square metres, adding in more than 2,000 new niches for mortal remains.
This year, the Severo Montalvo Scout Group will be running a volunteer service between 9am and 1pm on Wednesday November 1 to help people with reduced mobility or vulnerable groups who need help in the cemetery to clean the graves of their dearly departed, or carry heavy loads, or anything else.
Finally, once again this year the traditional Mass for the Dead will be held on Thursday November 2 at 8am. Afterwards, a funerary service will be held in the Old Cemetery and then they will move on to the New Cemetery, where the Mayor will make a floral offering in memory of the deceased.
For more local news, events and visiting information go to the home page of Águilas Today
Image: Ayuntamiento de Águilas
