125 years of the Radebeul Ost cemetery: Ode to life or A November song
It is November: the wind blows colourful autumn leaves to the ground, the weather becomes harsher and darker, people and nature sense the eternal cycle of emergence and decay. In some places, the howling of wolves signalled the approach of the dark season, so that it was called "Wolf Moon". Our ancestors, however, also called it "Foggy" or "Foggy Moon", and incorporated the characteristic hazy, damp and cold weather, the cloudy haze that shrouds the November days in grey. No wonder this eleventh day was chosen as the month of the dead. Because like no other, its customs and days of remembrance remind us to remember the deceased and decorate their graves.
The month of mourning is heralded by Reformation Day. On 31 October 1517, Martin Luther sent his 95 theses on the sale of indulgences and penance out into the world. Whether you follow the legend of hammer blows to the Wittenberg castle gate, which is deeply engraved in cultural memory, or the more likely version of letters sent to two high-ranking clergymen - either way, this date marks the beginning of the Reformation movement. By order of the Saxon Elector John George II, the commemoration day has fallen on the last day of October since 1667.
On the first day of the eleventh, the ecclesia commemorates, originally in a joyful celebration, all its saints, i.e. all those who went to their death as martyrs like Christ, were canonised or "about whose holiness no one knows but God".
One day later, Catholics celebrate All Souls' Day with the remembrance of their deceased, prayers for freedom from purgatory and intercessions for peace of mind. In more recent times, the two Catholic commemorations of saints and souls merge seamlessly, with the mourning and reflective aspect of decorating and blessing graves taking centre stage.
On the eleventh of the eleventh, Saint Martin of Tours has his great day of honour, including roast goose, thanks to his exemplary humanity and compassion. It is also Martin Luther's baptism and name day, and carnival fans ring in the 5th season at 11.11am.
But don't get too carried away with the celebrations, as the second Sunday before the 1st Advent is traditionally followed by Remembrance Day, which is dedicated to the meaningful commemoration of those who died in both world wars.
After an extremely chequered history, only Saxony has retained a public holiday: the Day of Prayer and Repentance lies between National Day of Mourning and the Sunday of the Dead. Originally, people were called upon to repent and pray in times of need. This colouring was lost and gave room for the individual - to question one's own actions and to turn more towards God again.
Since 1816, the Protestant church has also celebrated a "day of remembrance for all the deceased" with the Sunday of the Dead". However, a transformation into "Eternity Sunday" with a tendency towards hope and consolation has not taken place among Protestants either; the need for a time of mourning and reflection is also more important here. Catholics celebrate Christ the King Sunday on this day.
The arrival of the wolves from the east used to mark the end of summer, today it is symbolised by the distinctive cawing of ravens. They were therefore also called November birds. They flock to trees or fields and sing their harsh song. Their plumage is black and they are regarded as harbingers of bad luck - raven parents, thieving magpies, gallows birds. In Germanic mythology, they are border sailors between here and there, between yesterday and tomorrow, bringing tidings from all over the world and beyond. With this interwoven symbolism of death, it is not surprising to find them in cemeteries.
In addition to St John's Cemetery in Zitzschewig, Radebeul also has a churchyard around the Friedenskirche, where the last burial took place in 1893. With the Reformation's rejection of posthumous intercession, the close symbiosis between church and burial ground was split, so that an epidemic cemetery was established in Fürstenhain even before 1566; with the extension of a "New Cemetery" later known as "Old Cemetery", today usually just called "Gottesacker Kötzschenbroda". In many places in the Protestant area, burial sites shifted from churchyards to remote cemeteries during the 16th century. For Luther, it was precisely this aspect that was decisive: a place of eternal rest for the deceased and undisturbed contemplation for the living. The layout of burial sites still varied greatly. In some places, orderly rows of graves were laid out with individual gravestones, while elsewhere the dead were buried in a criss-cross pattern, as in the Middle Ages.
Today's Radebeul Ost cemetery was established in Serkowitz in 1890 in connection with the construction of the Luther Church. The most famous residents of the town who found their final resting place here include members of the May, Bilz and Ziller families, Patty Frank and architect Emil Högg, who extended and remodelled the cemetery in 1920.
Modern times have made death taboo, and the handling of the deceased is left to professional companies. As a result, numerous customs and dignified death rites have been pushed back. Today, we only visualise our finiteness on certain days in November. In the face of death, however, the fog also opens up opportunities for reflection, inner cleansing and preparation for Christmas - the 1st Advent is very often in November. As a picture puzzle of shadowy grey and transience, the month reminds us like no other to be aware of the light value of life.
Maren Gündel, City Archive
Published in: Radebeul Official Gazette, November 2015