It has become an annual routine for Rosa Maria Fuenzalida, to visit the grave of her mother on Mother's Day in Curico's central Chilean city. 

Besides Rosa Maria, millions of individuals in Latin America flock to take flowers as offering to the cemeteries where their beloved mothers and grandmothers are buried. As a known practice all over the world, this is a gesture expressing how much they love and remember their dead loved ones, especially on special days like Mother's Day. 

However, this year, with Chileans self-quarantining like the rest of the world, Rosa Maria depended on a stranger to bring flowers to her mom's grave.

Cemeteries in the whole of Chile all announced to prevalent disappointment that they would not be opening on May 10, Mother's Day. However, the general cemetery of Curico, which would typically have 15,000 visitors on this special day for mothers, offered a settlement.


The Cemetery Compromise for Mother's Day

The general cemetery invited visitors to take flowers to the front gate for three consecutive dates on separate days, based on their surnames' alphabetical order for the flowers to be brought directly to their loved ones' grave.

Those who left their flowers said that they received a message through WhatsApp shortly after leaving the bouquets at the front gate, with a picture of the flowers in place along with a note guaranteeing them "they had fresh water."

Meanwhile, the director of the cemetery, Roberto Garcia, said that more than 1,000 individuals had taken flowers by Friday. He also added that currently in Chile, "the truth is, it has been hard." 

Additionally, Garcia explained that in Curico, they already had over 45 COVID-19 cases, including some deaths.

According to the director, this Mother's Day initiative "acts as a ray of light." He added that they are doing this with so much love and care for each of the families, and mainly, the people who have lost their mothers and grandmothers.


Touched by the Gesture

An only child, Rosa Maria, was only 21 when her mom died. She said the gesture of the local authorities had moved her as they recognized the Mother's Day practice as "essential" amid the social distancing orders throughout Chile.

Meanwhile, Santiago, the capital, where the biggest cemeteries typically attract thousands and thousands of visitors along with chaotic scenes and road closures this week, the national federation of cemetery workers encouraged people to stay away.

The federation's president, Luis Yeneves, explained to a local radio station that this initiative was for the safety of everybody, adding that they need to stop the spread of COVID-19. 

In Latin America, where a lot of nations are only nearing the infections' peak from the fatal instruction, Mother's day was considered a "muted affair" last weekend.

In Mexico, where Mother's Day is considered one of the most celebrated events of the year, local officials have increasingly promoted social distancing by temporarily shutting down the main flower market of the capital.

Cemeteries where locals usually get together have not opened as well, and the officials even suggested transferring the said holiday to July.


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