>>3079183>I get that but if you want to talk about something decaying, even the very tradition of Decoration Day is dying. Last one I went to was around a decade ago. My dad is on a committee over one of the ones near my home. I remember when I was younger, upwards of 500 people coming to one which last time I was there maybe had a dozen people at it. Hell, at one point I was going to 9 a year, which, incidentally, is why I hate yardwork.Yeah, my whole point is that it's never been a widespread, monolithic tradition this far south in the state. You'll find a few churches that happen to do it in april or may but the church culture is different here. They're also usually called "Homecoming" because...most people moved away, so, the congregations boost up from like 10-15 people to 50 as all the kids and grandkids return
But most homecomings here seem to happen towards the fall, and its not much emphasis on the cemetaries. Those are usually maintained either by a particularly autistic old man with a weedeater, or the family of a particular plot.
>Exactly why I said central Alabama :pIn fairness, I've lived north of you and south of you (there's a surprisingly strong continuation of the tradition in Mobile and Baldwin counties, the more rural areas of course).
Jefferson County is north central at best, but sprawls northeast.
When I say central Alabama, I'm talking the true black belt counties. Sumter, Greene, Hale, Marengo, Perry, Dallas, Wilcox, Chilton, Autauga, Lowndes, Montgomery, Elmore, Macon, etc. The Selma-Montgomery region. Jefferson has always been its own distinct cultural footprint.
Not suprised it's common around Mobile still, Mobile's sense of identity is still very strong. Baldwin obviously varies tremendously by where you are. Some communities down there are largely from New Jersey these days, but you've also got your Spanish-Florida cemetaries surrounding Gulf Shores. Not a lot of upkeep necessary on those gravel and sand lots though.
