Yes, it is disrespectful. Always walk between the headstones and avoid standing on top of a gravesite. Be considerate of other
Burial plots come in all shapes and sizes, and some may be harder to see than others. Walking between headstones is a welcomed activity, as long as discretion is used. Respectfully refrain from standing on top of a burial place.
Respect the graves.
Touching monuments or headstones is extremely disrespectful and in some cases, may cause damage. For example, some older memorials might be in disrepair and could fall apart under the slightest touch. Be sure to walk in between the headstones, and don't stand on top of a burial place.
Drive slowly and obey any traffic signs posted in the cemetery. Be careful to avoid any people since they might be upset and not paying complete attention to where they are going. Be respectful. Keep the volume of voices down, and don't use offensive language. Don't be overly friendly when talking to strangers.
Visitors to the grave may recite supplications and recitations recommended by scholars. Visitors are strongly advised not to step on or over a grave or sit on a grave.
Yes, it is disrespectful. Always walk between the headstones and avoid standing on top of a gravesite. Be considerate of other mourners. If a funeral is taking place, stay out of the way of the procession and burial.
5. Don't sit or lean on the headstones, grave markers, or other memorials. It's not very respectful. If you're planning on being there a long time, bring a little travel chair.
Get permission and follow any rules laid down by the property owners. Cemeteries, temples, ruins, etc., are most likely owned and managed by some entity, whether it is a church, local government, historical society, etc. Be sure they are okay with you visiting and doing photography there.
It's a common driving superstition that whenever you pass a graveyard in your car, you should hold your breath. Why? Some people believe it's to avoid making the ghosts jealous (you know, because you're alive and can still breathe) while others do it to avoid breathing in any spirits.
It was tradition for Maori to wash their hands when leaving a cemetery. Water was used to remove the sacredness of the cemetery, allowing people to return to the everyday world, Mr Whaanga said.
Generally speaking, a body takes 10 or 15 years to decompose to a skeleton. Some of the old Victorian graves hold families of up to eight people. As those coffins decompose, the remains will gradually sink to the bottom of the grave and merge.
The exclusive right of burial (or grave deed) is sold for 75 or 99 years. For a cremated remains plot, the exclusive right of burial is sold for 75 or 99 years. These are known as 'purchased graves' and although you never actually own the ground you do own the exclusive rights to bury in your purchased plot.
1. Standing on Graves. A common superstition in North American and England says that it's bad luck to stand on someone's grave. You might even have heard the phrase “Someone just walked over my grave” after someone felt an unexplained chill or feeling of dread.
Provides a comforting tradition
For many people, visiting a loved one's grave becomes part of a comforting tradition. They bring flowers or mementoes on special days, like birthdays or holidays. They spend time talking to their loved one, updating them on the grandkids, the new house, or whatever else they want.
There aren't many rules when it comes to these visits apart from what the cemeteries list on their websites, but it is always a good idea to ask for permission to picnic at the cemetery office, which we did. The rest of it is just common sense, and can be summed up in two words.
Every 15 or 16 pounds of body weight produces a gallon of leachate, which has a distinct, fishy smell. In cemeteries, this liquid of decomposition seeps into the ground and, especially in sandy or gravelly soil, can mix with the groundwater below.
Whistling in a cemetery is a way of summoning evil spirits (or, alternatively, lonely spirits). Some believe that cemeteries hold lingering souls. Whistling might lure those souls to you, because whistling is a common way to call out to someone.
Six feet also helped keep bodies out of the hands of body snatchers. Medical schools in the early 1800s bought cadavers for anatomical study and dissection, and some people supplied the demand by digging up fresh corpses. Gravesites reaching six feet helped prevent farmers from accidentally plowing up bodies.
Many people consider it taboo to live near a graveyard. If prospective home buyers don't like the idea of living near a cemetery, then it can make the home selling process much more difficult. Living near a cemetery doesn't really affect your home's value, instead, it shrinks the market.
The practice of leaving flowers at graves began thousands of years ago when the ancient Greeks would honor fallen warriors. They believed that if the flowers rooted into the ground and grew from the gravesite, it was a sign that the fallen had found peace.
The rather odd expression 'somebody just walked over my grave!' is usually uttered when a person experiences a cold, sudden shudder.
Officially, James Cohen, professor at Fordham Law School tells Refinery29 that trespassing is a criminal offense for which you can be arrested and convicted. He adds that jail time is “unusual,” but can happen, in which case you'd spend fewer than 30 days behind bars.