Last week, my best friend (I'll call her BarlowGirl or BG for short) and me were on our way to do a little shopping, just the two of us. It was nice to get out of the house for a bit, and we were chatting away as I was driving. All the sudden we saw two police cars with blue and green flashing lights coming toward us. I turned to BG and said "that was odd", and looked again and noticed a white hurse following the police cars and then a whole line of cars following the hurse. Ahead of us cars were stopped or pulled over, and I couldn't understand what was going on. Noticing my face, BG laughed and said "You think this is weird too right?". I looked at her, and replied "What is this? and why is everyone stopping?". BG then proceeded to explain that it was a funeral procession and that down here in the South people stop or pull over to show respect for the dead and the family. She also told me that the first time she saw this was in Alabama when her and her husband had first gotten married, she thought it was strange too. They just don't do that out West.
A couple days ago I was riding with one of my co-workers to lunch, and she was telling me about the day before when she went to the post office. There had been a funeral procession with police cars at the front, but none at the back and she got mixed up in the procession because she didn't know where it ended. I proceeded to share my funeral procession story, and how I thought it was strange. She was so shocked that I had never seen anything like that before (she was born and raised here in TN), she proceeded to ask me, "If they don't do that in WA, then how do the people get to the cemetery for the burial?". As if there was no other way! I told her that everyone just drives there... with no police escort. She was so flabbergasted by what I told her.
I do have to say, I'm glad BG was with me the first time I saw this funeral procession so that now I understand how to behave when I see another one.
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6 comments:
And they really should have police escorts for funerals out here because of the traffic in general and all of the long waits at traffic lights. It's so helpful when you're coming to a funeral from out of town and aren't familiar with the area. We love hearing your "new to the South" stories!
Woah, woah woah! That's not a national thing? Seriously? What?!? I am shocked!
This is done in the midwest, although not necessarily a police escort. Everybody puts their lights on and drives slowly to the cemetary, and out of respect, other people pull over and wait until the procession passes.
I remember this in Arizona as a child, too. I really think it's probably the west coast that has no old fashioned, graceful manners about such things.=)
Ok, it is totally weird to me that you have never seen that! .... They really don't do that out west? how strange...
And it is nice because the police cars escorting the group will block off intersections so the whole group doesn't have to stop at red lights and stop signs. Makes it a lot faster to get to the cemetery.
I noticed you had commented on one of Kate's posts, and wanted to drop in to say hi!
It never occurred to me that funeral processions were a southern thing, lol. Washington to Tennessee, huh? Talk about your culture shock...
HMZ - that is entirely possible. The west coast and all its new-fangled liberal ideas.
Angela - yes it has been a bit of culture shock, but its fun and new.
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