20.500.12556/RUL-171791 Living connections continuing bonds between the living and the deceased in rural Northeastern Slovenia The article explores the role of plants in mediating ongoing bonds between the living and the deceased. Drawing on ten months of ethnographic fieldwork in a rural region of northeastern Slovenia, this study focuses on three personal narratives where individuals maintain connections with deceased loved ones through plants. These natural objects – daffodils, a blooming cactus and magnolia trees – serve as material manifestations of the deceased, offering comfort, continuity and a sense of presence. Using the continuing bonds grief model (Klass & Silverman & Nickman 1996) as a theoretical foundation, the article examines how these bonds transcend traditional bereavement practices, creating everyday spaces for relational continuity. The article argues that plants act as living bridges between the living and the dead, transforming the understanding of grief into a relational process that fosters enduring connections within broader cultural and natural frameworks. ethnology folklore flowers trees plants bereavement practices continuing bonds the dead anthropology of death rural Slovenia etnologija folkloristika rože drevesa rastline žalovanje vez med živimi in mrtvimi mrtvi antropologija smrti Slovenija true false false Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Neznano 2025-09-02 15:02:30 2025-09-02 15:02:34 2026-04-27 12:49:22 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2025 0 0 Str. 167-186 Vol. 96 2025 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova NiDoloceno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 2025-01-01 393(439) 1406-0957 10.7592/FEJF2025.96.zupanc 246392835 Zupanc_Folklore_vol._96.pdf Zupanc_Folklore_vol._96.pdf 1 24075375A1E1A48CC36AB7A6DD0FD9A3 d87717183091c336e81025e15c6ee0ac6c77ae82241b58f502b8a49ae2f38d22 08f7ca2f-87fd-11f0-9328-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=215278 https://www.folklore.ee/folklore/vol96 1 f3b5c1e0-87fc-11f0-9328-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=215277 Filozofska fakulteta 0 0 0