Radio Romania International
Even though death is met with sadness in our culture, in the area of Maramures, in the north, in the village of Sapanta, and back in 1935, a tradition was started, which became the so-called Merry Cemetery. The year 1935 was when the first funny epitaph appeared on a cross, and, since the 1960s, the cemetery is sprinkled with over 800 such crosses, made of oak wood, becoming a veritable open air museum, a tourist attraction. Visitors here may notice that some crosses are painted on both sides. On one side there is a description of the life of the deceased, on the other a description of the cau...