Apparently, the genealogical line from the ancient Dacians and the people of Maramures is purer than elsewhere in Romania, as is evidenced in their cultural attitude toward death. The Dacians were often praised for their fearlessness in battle, which was linked to their belief in their supreme god, Zalmoxis, and in the afterlife. In contemporary Maramures, villagers still don't see death as a tragedy; this pragmatic understanding of the relationship between life and the hereafter is exemplified in the unusual artistry practiced at Sapânta's Cimitirul Vesel, or "Cheerful Cemetery," a zany collection of over 800 carved and colorfully painted wooden headstones surrounding the village church (built in 1886). The idea of marking the graves with anecdotal images and amusing epitaphs was that of Stan Ioan Pâtras, who died in 1977 and now occupying his own blue-marked grave facing the church entrance. Patras dedicated himself to creating grave markings that truly served the purpose of remembering those who lie buried here; the dedications either encapsulate the spirit of the life or describe the moment of death of the individual buried beneath it. Some simply describe the occupation of the buried person, while others come across as damning messages from beyond the grave; the poem on the tombstone of a baby girl reads: "Burn in hell, you damn taxi that came from Sibiu. As large as Romania is, you couldn't find another place to stop. Only in front of my house, to kill me." Patras's legacy continues today through Dumitru Pop who has been responsible for the headstones for 3 decades now; Pop runs a small museum dedicated to Patras, not far from the cemetery, where he will also demonstrate how the headstones are created.