In May, the cemetery with 140 unmarked graves in Thinh My village, Tien Dien commune ( Ha Tinh province ) becomes cleaner and more beautiful thanks to the care of nearly 100 local elderly members.
This special cemetery, built on an area of approximately 5,000 square meters, is located next to the Nghi Xuan Martyrs' Cemetery. According to the initial design, it will have over 550 pre-built graves to accommodate the repatriation of unidentified remains discovered during land clearance and construction of transportation projects in the former Nghi Xuan district.
According to the leaders of Tien Dien commune, since the 2000s, during the implementation of many infrastructure projects, authorities discovered many scattered graves in areas slated for demolition, but the identities of the deceased could not be determined, and no relatives came to claim them. The local government organized the excavation and relocation of these graves for communal burial in the area next to the Nghi Xuan Martyrs' Cemetery.
Many years later, people from localities such as Tien Dien, Nghi Xuan, Co Dam, and Dan Hai continued to discover more unidentified graves and brought them here for burial. To date, the cemetery has approximately 140 unidentified graves.
Without names or relatives to care for them, the cemetery became deserted for a long time. Weeds grew rampant, many graves were dilapidated, and few people visited. Witnessing this scene, many local residents couldn't help but feel saddened.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan Hoa (born in 1959), chairwoman of the Elderly Association of Tien Dien commune, said she was always troubled to see the unmarked graves neglected amidst weeds. After taking on the role at the Elderly Association in 2025, she and the members discussed and agreed to take responsibility for caring for the entire cemetery.
"Those buried here may have once been someone's parents or grandparents, but due to circumstances like war, natural disasters, or life's upheavals, they no longer have relatives to identify them. We believe that whoever they were, once they've passed away, they deserve to be cared for and honored," Ms. Hoa shared.
Following the initiative, nearly 100 elderly members from across the commune volunteered to clean, clear weeds, and beautify the cemetery grounds. During these cleanup efforts, from early morning, the elderly men and women gathered in large numbers, bringing hoes, brooms, sickles, and other cleaning tools. Some swept leaves, others pulled weeds, and still others cleaned each grave. Under the early summer sun, everyone worked diligently, hoping to keep the unmarked graves clean.
According to the members, the biggest difficulty is that the cemetery is quite large and weeds grow quickly. Meanwhile, the participants are all elderly and have limited health, making the cleaning quite strenuous. However, everyone tries to arrange their time to participate because they want the graves to always be clean and properly honored with incense.
Ms. Le Thi Diem, head of the Elderly Association in Thuan My village, said that despite their advanced age, the members participated enthusiastically because they considered it a charitable act. "We do it completely voluntarily. Some contribute their labor, others contribute incense and candles. We only hope that those who have passed away will feel warmer, and at the same time, educate our children and grandchildren about neighborly love and sharing with the community," Ms. Diem said.
After several shifts of maintenance, the cemetery has become much neater and cleaner than before. The pathways have been cleared, and each grave has been carefully cleaned. On many graves, people have also placed vases of flowers and lit incense sticks as a way of showing their respect for the deceased.
Beyond just general cleaning, the Elderly Association of Tien Dien commune has also developed a long-term plan for cemetery care. Accordingly, once a month, members will organize cleaning, incense burning, and inspection of the cemetery grounds.
In the future, the association plans to mobilize additional social resources to repaint the dilapidated graves, plant more flowers and trees to create a more pleasant landscape.
Mr. Le Thanh Binh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Tien Dien commune, said that the Elderly Association's responsibility in caring for and offering incense at unclaimed graves is an activity with profound humanitarian significance. In the future, the locality will continue to cooperate with the Elderly Association and mobilize additional social resources to support the work of collecting, caring for, and offering incense at these graves. Through this, this model will not only be maintained and widely disseminated but will also contribute to educating the younger generation about the traditions of compassion and kindness.
Source: https://tienphong.vn/ai-trong-coi-140-ngoi-mo-vo-chu-post1847341.tpo
Comment (0)