by Someone left these eggplants at the gate of a cemetery on 11th Street (the Second Cemetery of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue). I googled “eggplants and cemeteries” and yes, it’s a thing. According to a few sites I found it’s an offering to the spirit Oya, who is an orisha. This particular orisha has influence over death and cemeteries. God, I love the internet.
I have run across this recently; eggplants at a cemetery. I’m glad you have this info.
Glad to be of help! It was weird to see.
We used to find these all of the time by monuments in a cemetery where we worked.
Interesting! What cemetery was this?
I just saw this yesterday at a cemetery in Riverside, CA. I didn’t know what it meant… There were also many pennies scattered about as well.
I think it would make an interesting book of photographs, pictures of all the kinds of things people leave on graves.
There’s a cemetery in Ohio, Chestnut Grove or Witches Hill as legend goes, that supposedly has a witch buried there. She was hung by a noose, and buried where her body fell near the tree. There was no marker placed, only an iron gate surrounding the area of her body. Due to vandals, the gate has been removed but there are still iron spikes near ground level where the saw cut through the fence. I’ve been there twice, and both times an eggplant cut into nine equally sized pieces, were lined up by the entrance.
That is a great story! Thank you for telling me. It would be interesting to learn the origins of the witches story.
We have property across from a cemetery. Apparently someone has been coming by and placing an egg plant with names of deceased people on it and a windmill pin wheel stuck in it for the past nine weeks. Just noticed when cleaning fence line. What does this mean.
Rafaela, I only researched it a tiny bit, and I think this post said all I knew. Which was close to nothing. I always thought living across from a cemetery would be nice, except around Halloween I guess, when kids are acting up (and I was one of those kids back in the day).
Came Across this in an old pioneer cemetery near East Fork Lake, in Southwest Ohio. A family headstone (Cleopatra’s Needle) with the offerings in front of a 6mo old named Ruhamah Justice who died in 1846. 2 vases containing flowers and a serving tray containing, or rather overflowing with, 8 full Eggplants. Did the saem as you, looking into what the significance with eggplants and burials. I’m not sure it makes sense what you found, as further research into orisha seems West African but it is possible. I’d love to understand more about this practice.
I studied Anthropology in College, and I have always found death rituals fascinating. I have often wondered how cultures decided how to care for the remains of their dead. as often time there is a hygienic component, yet hygiene and medicine were not known until much later, well after the practice has been established.
Hi Brandon. I no longer remember what I learned! But I agree, death rituals are fascinating.