In Memoriam (Votive Candles on a Grave)

In Memoriam (Votive Candles on a Grave)
In Memoriam (Votive Candles on a Grave)

See this photo at EyeEm.

In Memoriam (Votive Candles on a Grave) by Mike Jackobo

In Memoriam is the best title I could think for a photo with votive candles on a grave. I made this photo at the World War 2 German cemetery, near Athens. I find it a bit strange that someone is still visiting these graves. It has been 73 years since the Germans left in 1944; even the children of these soldiers must be too old for this journey. Whatever the case, things are how they are and because of that, I had the chance to make this photo.

the day I made this photo, I visited another place nearby. I knew about the German cemetery in Penteli but I never visited it in the past. As I was curious about what it was I went there as well. The mood of the day certainly suited a visit to a cemetery. The bright colours of these votive candles were in contrast both to the austere architecture of the place and to the mood of the day. In addition, they are not used in the Orthodox tradition and it is rare to see them in Greece. So, it was a subject  I couldn’t let pass.

As I wrote earlier, the location I made this photo is the German cemetery of WWII. I won’t write about what the Nazis did to Europe in general or Greece in particular. It all happened seven decades ago and this ideology should be dead and buried as these soldiers are.

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