In the Spanish town of Lanjarón in Granada province in Andalusia, Spain, it is illegal to die on weekends.
Surprisingly, yes, it’s true. It is an over-25-year-old rule that was implemented by former mayor Jose Rubio. According to Deseret News, in 1999, Mayor Jose Rubio made a declaration that urged citizens of Lanjarón “to take utmost care of their health so they do not die until the town hall takes the necessary steps to acquire land suitable for our deceased to rest in glory.”
According to the report at the time, the declaration was necessitated by the overcrowding problem at the Lanjarón cemetery.
In Major Rubio’s words, he said at the time, “I am just a mayor. Above me there is God, who is ultimately the one who runs things.”
As of now, there is no information to suggest whether or not the town has expanded its cemetery, but per our sources, there is only one graveyard in Lanjarón based on the limit set by the municipality.
Despite the odd news of it being illegal to die in Lanjarón, it is a normal town with close to 4,000 residents and is famous for being an ideal wellness location and having rich mineral springs.
You might think you’ve heard it all, but Lanjarón isn’t the only place to outlaw death. In 2008, Gerard Lalanne, the mayor of Sarpourenx, France, issued a decree prohibiting residents from dying in the village unless they had purchased a burial plot in the crowded cemetery.
