Yellow Chrysanthemums

Brugge cemetery

Yesterday, November 1st was La Toussaint, Allerheiligen, All Saints, the day of hommage to all saints and martyrs, celebrated in Rome since the fifth century and originally on the Sunday after Pentecost. All Saints, specifically a Roman Catholic celebration marked in R.C. countries like Belgium, France, Spain and Poland [and more] has dated to November 1 since the eighth century. In Belgium that means another feestdag and a strong tradition of spending some, or all, of the day with the family and in visiting family graves, bearing chrysanthemums in memoriam. November 2nd is All Souls, I think, a day to remember all the dead.

Brugge cemetery: headstone

I had not taken too much notice of it till this year but, on this week’s Wednesday morning market on the Markt here. I went to buy my usual flowers on my usual stall, a Bruggean indulgence since I have lived here. My attention was drawn to a large vase of white chrysanths with each bloom shielded in a protective cocoon of green plastic net. They were adorned with a notice saying: Promo. 1 euro each bloom. Amazing; chrysanths are never cheap in the UK and I immediately bought six and added bunches of white and green foliage. After removing the protective plastic I could appreciate the large shaggy heads.Two vases of white chrysanthemums adorn my sitting room as I write. They look wonderful and I love them but it was only as I left the market that I remembered the chrysanthemum connection to Toussaint when I noticed a number of people carrying bunches too. It seems a charming custom to me, atheist that I am; it illustrates the influence of the Catholic Church still but rather more testifies to the strong family connections customary in Belgian society. It was not until the evening with my usual conversation group at the Oud Huis Amsterdam [minus at least half of the members on account of La Toussaint!] that I was dumbfounded to discover that Belgians would never, could never, buy chrysanthemums for the house. Never, ever! It is the associations of course but still so interesting to stumble over another difference between two countries, two societies, so similar in many ways and so close geographically but with historically different national religions and the associated cultural divergences. There is absolutely no equivalent celebration in the UK to La Toussaint in spite of the fact that, no doubt, All Saints is in the Church of England calendar.

Chrysanthemums do have a special meaning for me however, associated in fact with a much-loved family member who died over twenty years ago. My darling maiden aunt Lily used to stay quite often with us and always at Christmas. She was poor and proud, and had tremendous interpersonal skills and warmth; she maintained connections between far-flung cousins and parts of the larger family who might otherwise have lost touch with each other. Her contribution at Christmas was always a superb bunch of enormous yellow chrysanthemums for our hall where there stood a low polished cupboard with a large oval mirror above, a perfect spot for an arrangement with the mirror providing the illusion of ever-greater floral power! The blooms were grown by a local retired miner, chrysanthemum-growing being a traditional and highly-regarded  hobby among miners in the area. She was friends with one such who always allowed her the privilege of buying from him at Christmas and she was very conscious of the honour he bestowed on her, and of the special beauty of her prize blooms. Her offering was always presented as if rare jewels and received as such. The ache I sometimes feel for those far-off Christmas days, when the children were small and excitement ran high, includes fondest memories of my aunt and her prize yellow chrysanthemums and the delight she and they brought to me.

Toussaint sky from my terrace.

Appropriately dramatic.

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Brugge cemetery again.