PERHAPS people have been leaving teddy bears at gravesites of memorials for a long time, but… the first time I ever saw such a thing, it was in the aftermath of Susan Smith’s drowning of her two little boys, down in South Carolina. And I suspect that’s the first time/place a LOT of people saw it happen.
Now, while leaving teddy bears at a memorial for Princess Diana may seem a tad ridiculous, it made a LITTLE bit of sense at a memorial for two very little boys.
Maybe after seeing that on television, some people just expanded on the concept, and started buying teddy bears in honor of deceased adults, as well.
mayhap people are suddenly rediscovering ancient burial rituals, a la the Egyptians, Scythians, Celts, etc. etc.
providing funerary offerings or other items the deceased might need in the afterlife is about as old as civilization. maybe modern society is somehow “rediscovering” the idea.
but i’ll be the first to agree that offerings really ought to be put somewhere safe and protected…otherwise, their usefulness in the afterlife is severely compromised.
Yes, lachesis, I know I’d be ticked if some archeology undergrad walked off with my bronze adze, right before my ancestors and I got together for a quick pyramid raising.
I could not agree with you more. A small marker, maybe, but these roadside memorials are distracting and people stopping on the freeway to put them in place is just plain nutso.
Quite the dignified swipe there Eve. I’ve so much to learn from you. Yes, I completely agree that having toys mouldering out at the roadside is a bit noxious and a waste of resources. I was referring to emplacements like Princess Diana’s or those for school shootings.
As for me, my love of animals pretty well dictates that I’ll be ground up for pet food.
PS: Eve, would you prefer herbed or garlic flavor croutons?