These images are from the Lacombe, Louisiana cemeteries on the evening of November 1, All Souls Day. The Creole people of Lacombe, where we lived for 13 years, are a mix of white, black, and Choctaw indian. I think their grave lighting tradition was originally a Choctaw ancestor respect thing; the Catholic church put a "blessing of the graves" on top of that. While I was busy taking photos, my sister Ingrid found out two things I didn't know. The distinctive shape of many of the crosses with their rounded inside corners is a Choctaw influence, probably because they would be easier to carve. The old cemetery on Main Street is hard to get to. You have to find a small gate and then walk across someone's field. That's because there was no Main Street when it was started. It's located right on Bayou Lacombe and people got there by boat. We went to three cemeteries and to the tiny Lourdes chapel, which had been all cleaned up and unvoodooed after Katrina.
More on Saturday's other Lacombe event after this busy election day.
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