If you usually visit the cemetery, it probably caught your attention that these places are usually surrounded by cypress trees. No matter whether they are ancient or modern cemeteries, there is a long tradition of placing these trees in the holy places where the mortal remains and souls of those who have already left this world rest. As you may have imagined, Christianity has a lot to do with cypresses being a symbol of the cemetery. Although there are different reasons that justify the presence of these trees and that, throughout this article, we are going to explain to you so that you know more curiosities about it.
Christian symbol, but one that Christians adopted later, because long before, Greeks and Romans also venerated the cypress as well as their dead.
The meaning of the cypress tree
As soon as you know the meaning attributed to the cypress, you will understand why these trees are so important in cemeteries and so endearing to Christians and believers. And it is a perennial tree but, in addition, due to its great height and its slender shape, which seems to be touching the sky, there has been a tendency to relate this tree with the concepts of eternity and immortality.
Immortality and eternity are the hopes to which we humans cling to to overcome our fear of death and the uncertainty of it, in addition to the pain of saying goodbye to a loved one. Hence the importance of the cypress, given its symbolism as a plant species that is not usually missing in holy fields.
Apart from immortality and eternity, the cypress, returning to its elongated and tall size to infinity, is also considered to have a connection between heaven and earth. According to Christian beliefs, the spirit rises to heaven when our body ends its stage of life and the cypress is an element that could act as a ladder to the eternity of heaven so that the spirit can find its way upward.
So much for the meaning of the cypress tree in cemeteries according to Christian beliefs, but what about other cultures? Do we only find cypress trees in Christian cemeteries? We are going to verify that it is not, because it is also venerated outside of Christianity.
The meaning of the cypress in non-Christian cultures
To understand the meaning of cypress in cemeteries and places of Greek and Roman funerary worship, it is good that we know the legend that has been forged around them. Here are these beautiful legends.
There is a famous myth in which it is said that a young man named Cyparissus accidentally killed a deer that he had lovingly tamed. He felt so bad for having ended the life of his animal friend, that broken with pain and full of guilt, he asked the god Apollo to turn him into a cypress, so that he could cry eternally for his deer. Apollo fulfilled his wish and the young Cyparissus was turned into a cypress and ended his days crying for his pet at the foot of his tomb.
On the Roman side, we also find cypress trees, accompanying the rest of their deceased. In this case, they decided to consecrate the tree to Pluto, god of the underworld. Since then they considered cypress like a “funeral” tree. And the custom was adopted that, when someone died, a branch of their tree was placed at the door of the houses, as a sign of mourning.
Since the Middle Ages, Europe acquired this custom of plant cypress trees in cemeteries, to remind visitors that, beyond death, there is life and that there is Resurrection. The tradition has been preserved and continues to be practiced in many European cemeteries. They are a sign of respect and also of memory, because with them we remember our loved ones who are gone, thinking that we trust in their eternal life.
Are cypress trees viable in cemeteries?
Beyond legends, myths and beliefs, taking into account that we are on a blog dedicated to the different species of plants and their care, we are also interested in knowing if it is viable to plant and care for this species in cemeteries.
Like any other species, we cannot plant wildly, but we must find the ideal conditions for its survival and give it the care it needs. Because cypress trees require good maintenance.
The cypress tree needs sun and well-drained soil., much better if they are fertile and acidic lands, although this is not entirely decisive and we can find them in not so friendly lands. What is certain is that if the land contains stagnant water, the tree can die, because it does not tolerate excessive humidity. Additionally, humidity can cause fungi and other pests to appear.
If cypress It is newly planted, it will require regular watering to grow and thrive. Although this need for irrigation will decrease and, once it is an adult tree, it will have become stronger and will be able to resist droughts.
Well cared for, cypress trees can live up to 200 years. They are not many years, but their symbolism and their resistance, apart from the intimate and serene appearance that they give to the space, make it worth taking good care of them and repopulating them when the specimens reach their maximum longevity because, although they represent eternity , they are not eternal.
The ecological value of cypress
We can also look for cypress outside cemeteries, because their usefulness is not limited to these gloomy areas, but they are also a perfect species for repopulating forests and areas that need to be revived with few resources. Their lushness is one of their main characteristics, in addition to their height, as they can reach 20 meters high.
Apart from its lushness, through pruning, we can control its growth and shape, so that it acquires dimensions worthy of beautifying any corner with its presence. Because although perhaps some people while reading this article consider it to be a sad tree, for those who firmly believed in its symbology, they are joy and fill the spaces of sadness with life.
It must be added that the cypresses in the cemetery or in the forests or in places where we find them well cared for, they are trees that produce fruits, which are another gift from nature for their beneficial properties: they are the cypress nuts that have antiviral properties, among other benefits.