Ordinance Enacted in 1999 to Address Cemetery Shortage
Only One Cemetery in the Village Since the Law Was Passed
In the small village of Lanjaron in the Andalusia region of southern Spain, a law has reportedly "banned" residents from dying within the village for the past 26 years, drawing public attention. On July 29 (local time), the New York Post reported that a creative ordinance introduced in 1999 by then-mayor Jose Rubio to address the shortage of cemetery space has recently gone viral on social networking services (SNS).
The ordinance includes a message to residents: "Take care of your health and do not die until the town hall provides a cemetery for the deceased." When the ordinance was enacted, former mayor Rubio said in an interview with a media outlet, "I am just the mayor, and above me is God, who presides over everything," adding, "Everyone took this law with humor and showed a strong will to abide by it." Even 26 years after the law was enacted, Lanjaron still has only one cemetery. However, it is reported that the issue of expanding the cemetery remains unresolved.
Except for this unusual "ban on death," the village is no different from any other small Spanish town. It has a population of about 4,000 and is famous for its mineral-rich hot spring water. Recently, it has been gaining attention as a hidden gem among Generation Z travelers, who seek alternatives to crowded tourist cities like Barcelona and Mallorca, and it has been trending on TikTok and Instagram.
This kind of "ban on death" ordinance is not unique to Lanjaron. In Longyearbyen, Norway, the deaths of residents have also been prohibited since 1950. Due to the subarctic climate in the area, buried bodies hardly decompose, and in the past, scientists even discovered a living sample of the 1917 influenza virus. As a result, due to concerns about the spread of disease, burials in Longyearbyen remain prohibited to this day.
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