Headstones will be placed at the head of the grave and centered. Headstones will be placed in a straight line with the headstones to the left and right of the grave. The cemetery caretaker will place 3 stakes on each grave where a headstone is to be set.
tThe tradition of placing the casket/shroud covered body in the grave with the head to the west is common, and people know about it. At the same time, the feet are to the east. The body would be placed face up.
The answer to that is in the name. If it IS a “headstone” the stone will be at the head of the casket; on the side where the writing is. Or if it is a marker that is flat to the ground, you would see the grave of that person, with the marker at the head of the grave.
Foot-stones are typically smaller than headstones and lay flat on the ground rather than upright. Some sections of cemeteries only allow foot-stones, while other spots allow a mixture. Some plots can have a headstone and foot-stones for multi-family plots.
People use the terms interchangeably, but there is a difference between grave markers and headstones. In general, grave markers lie flat on the ground while headstones rise above the grave in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Neither flat markers nor raised stones are “better.” Both have their places.
While there is no one specific rule around how long you need to wait before you can put a headstone on a burial grave, it is recommended that you wait for at least six months before erecting a headstone.
Most Christians tend to bury their dead facing east. This is because they believe in the second coming of Christ and scripture teaches that he will come from the east. In this manner, they place their dead in a position so they can meet Christ face-to-face during his second coming.
It was also not uncommon for some people to be buried with both a headstone and a footstone to mark the length of the grave, a tradition that's practiced to avoid overcrowding or accidental excavation.
footstone - a flat, slab-like stone grave marker placed at the foot end of a grave. Footstones, are used only in. conjunction with headstones and usually are considerably smaller and less ornate, often bearing only initials as. inscriptions.
The footstone may simply mark the foot of a grave, serving as a boundary marker for the grave plot, but more often provide additional information about the interred decedent. A footstone usually contains the initials of the person whose grave it marks.
Finally, never use household soap, dishwashing liquid, detergent, wax or any other cleaning product when cleaning a headstone, gravemarker or monument, regardless of how safe or gentle it claims to be on various surfaces. (This includes biodegradable and/or all-natural/organic products.)
Capacity of the grave
Graves can be for a maximum of three full earth burials, depending on ground conditions in the cemetery. The depth has to be determined with the first burial. In a dedicated cremation plot, designed solely for cremated remains, ten caskets can be interred.
The head is commonly turned to the left in a casket to ensure the body looks more comfortable and peaceful, while also allowing mourners a better view of the deceased's face. Occasionally, the head is also turned to the left for reasons related to Christian traditionalism.
The upper headstone section is called the "die" or "tablet" which sits on top of a base stone. The die and base are attached together with monument setting compound. Sometimes people refer to the base as the foundation. However, the foundation is normally made of concrete and is set into the ground.
To Symbolize Their Visit
Many people leave stones on a loved one's grave or memorial to mark their visit. The symbol of the stone can bring comfort to family and friends, letting them know their loved one has been visited, grieved and prayed for by others, too.
Traditional headstone procedures
Many Egyptian temples were built so that the dead faced east. Christians believed that if the deceased were buried to face east, they could rise again on the day of resurrection.
To Protect the Corpse from Being Stolen. Snatching dead bodies was common in many parts of England and Scotland in the early 1800s. Therefore, graves were always dug six feet deep to prevent body snatchers from gaining access to the buried remains.
The idea that graves should always be 6 feet deep has been around for a long time. There is no agreement about where this idea came from. Here are a few theories about why people may have decided to bury their dead 6 feet deep.
gravekeeper (plural gravekeepers) A graveyard attendant. quotations ▼
Livor, rigor, and algor mortis
Goff explains, “[T]he blood begins to settle, by gravity, to the lowest portions of the body,” causing the skin to become discolored. This process may begin after about an hour following death and can continue to develop until the 9–12 hour mark postmortem.
In different cultures throughout the world, burial clothes carry a lot of significance. They're a way to help the individual transition to the afterlife, or they're simply a form of respect. We all want our bodies treated with the utmost care, so this is part of the final goodbye for many families.
The entrances face the west so that during services, worshippers face the east while looking at the altar. And since most Christians prefer burying their dead in this direction, many headstones in our cemetery have this arrangement. A notable exception is clergy members who are buried facing west.
It is a common practice to cover the legs as there is swelling in the feet and shoes don't fit. As part of funeral care, the body is dressed and preserved, with the prime focus on the face. Post embalming, bodies are often placed without shoes; hence covering the legs is the way to offer a dignified funeral.
Some initials found on gravestones:
FLT stands for Friendship, Love, Truth, three degrees associated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The Odd Fellows, first organized in the US in 1819, is a popular fraternal/benefit organization. The emblem of the Odd Fellows is usually shown as three links of a chain.
Foot markers can be utilized as individual or companion monuments. In fact some cemeteries or certain sections within, only allow foot markers due to their ease of maintenance. Foot Markers are generally rectangular shaped and set stones used to provide snippets of information about the deceased.