AMERICANALMANAC (Ken Jacobs) - Hungarian grave-digging contest digs into tradition and taboos
Hungary’s public cemetery in Nyergesújfalu hosted a grave-digging contest where teams raced to dig regulation graves for a cash prize, a display organizers say spotlights the dignity of the trade and aims to break old taboos. On Saturday, thirty-eight men in 19 teams descended on the cemetery in northern Hungary, competing to see who could […] The post Hungarian grave-digging contest digs into tradition and taboos appeared first on American Almanac .
Hungary’s public cemetery in Nyergesújfalu hosted a grave-digging contest where teams raced to dig regulation graves for a cash prize, a display organizers say spotlights the dignity of the trade and aims to break old taboos. On Saturday, thirty-eight men in 19 teams descended on the cemetery in northern Hungary, competing to see who could dig the fastest, deepest, and most precisely measured grave. The event was organized by the Hungarian Association of Cemetery Maintainers and Operators, which described the contest as a way to “showcase the grave-digging trade and its skills” and to “shake off death-related taboos.” Contestants used only picks and shovels, working under the sun to meet strict size requirements: 1.6 meters…Open
