At Christmas, many people remember their loved ones with plants and flowers - but at the Vantaa cemetery, they may end up in the mouth of a surprising intruder

A snowy cemetery, many tombstones, in the background you can see a church building and picket fences, in the foreground a leafy tree — There is a lot of snow in the cemeteries, but the roe animals move on plowed walkways. Red deer eat, for example, yew needles when they are hungry.

Deer are picking flowers and conifers at the cemetery in Vantaa. The parish association apologizes for the inconvenience caused to the relatives and advises to prefer candlelight at the graves.

In Vantaa, there is a group of about five roe deer moving in the cemetery of the Helsinki Keeper’s Church. The cemetery is not completely fenced, so the animals can move around the area quite freely.

According to the Vantaa Parish Association, it is difficult to fence the entire area.

Deer are looking for food after winter has come and have eaten, among other things, yew fences.

Previously, Vantaa Sanomat reported on the movement of deer in the cemetery.

Snowy cemetery, snow on the picket fence, trees in the foreground, gravestones in the middle of the snow in the background — According to the Vantaa Parish Association, the most damage can be seen on the new side of the Helsinki Keeper’s Church cemetery.

Torvinen regrets the sadness that the loss of flowers from graves causes to relatives.

Deer have also eaten some leafy bushes, such as antlers in the cemetery. According to Torvinen, on the other hand, deer usually do not eat strongly scented plants and herbs, but you may not be able to bring them in during the winter.

– In the summer, for example, velvet flower, bittersweet and myrrh mint usually do not disappear. You can at least try these.

Heather in the snow, a memorial wall, in front of which is a low dark bench for candles, a couple of candles and a lantern in the background — Heather has not been eaten by roe deer.

At Christmas, you should bring lanterns

At Christmas time, many remember their deceased loved ones by visiting the cemetery. Foreman Torvinen recommends using candle lanterns with lantern candles and table candles.

– They leave as little waste as possible, he says.

As a flower, many people prefer heather. They stay in the burrows all winter. You can bring cut flowers, but they can get lost in the deer’s mouths.

\”Unfortunately, they may also taste somewhat good for deer,\” Torvinen reminds.

According to the congregation’s observations, the lichen wreaths that came to the graves have not disappeared, but there is no certainty about the coniferous wreaths.

The fluctuating temperature has made the paths slippery. The congregation is plowing and sanding the cemetery’s corridors for the rest of the week, but due to the slippery nature, you should move calmly around the graves.

Tombstone in the middle of the snow, burning candles, pine cones on top of the snow — The congregation recommends using candle lanterns and lantern or table candles in them.

*You can discuss the topic until Sunday, December 25 at 11 p.m.*