Traditional headstone procedures This influence came from early religions that worshipped the sun. 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.
It started with Ancient Sun Worshippers
The practice of burying the dead so their face would face the rising sun goes back to ancient Egyptians and Greeks who worshipped the sun god. According to their beliefs, it was most appropriate for their dead to face the sun to greet each new day.
It seems that in Christianity, the star comes from the east. Some of the ancient religions (based on the sun) would bury the dead facing east so that they could face the "new day" and the "rising sun." Once again, Christ is considered to be the "Light of the World," which explains the eastward facing burials.
In between the stones is a mound of earth covering the body. The bodies are laid out between the two stones with their head to the west and the feet to the east. Graves were laid out in this fashion because they believed the dead would rise at dawn on Judgment Day, face the sunrise, and ascend into heaven.
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.
In a hundred years, the last of your bones will have collapsed into dust, and only the most durable part of your body, such as teeth, grave wax and some nylon threads.
Caskets made from either metal or wood will take an average of 50 or more years to decompose underground. The casket's duration depends on the type of wood used to build it and the composition of chemicals found on the grave.
It has been used to prevent the odor of decay, to give family members closure and prevent them from witnessing the decomposition of their loved ones, and in many cultures it has been seen as a necessary step for the deceased to enter the afterlife or to give back to the cycle of life.
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.
Carrying a coffin with the feet first helps keep it balanced and also means the deceased is being handled with great care. The funeral director will provide instructions on how to take the coffin.
In Hindu custom, the bodies of dead people are placed with the head pointing to the north until cremation.
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.
(ˈiːstˌfeɪsɪŋ ) adjective. facing towards the east. an east-facing room/window. The front of the house is east-facing.
People often leave tributes to remember their loved ones, and the cemetery staff has been instructed not to remove anything. Is it disrespectful to walk on graves? Yes, it is disrespectful. Always walk between the headstones and avoid standing on top of a gravesite.
Christianity & The Sideways Cross
Many people view the horizontal cross as a symbol of Jesus achieving the salvation of His people. As His work is finished, the cross has been laid down. He no longer has to carry the weight of the cross or the sins of His people.
Mirrors are believed to trap the soul of the deceased at the gravesite where it belongs. The belief that the soul could be caught and trapped in a mirror appears in many other ways.
OPEN-CASKET FUNERAL ETIQUETTE
If they have an open casket viewing, make sure you follow proper funeral etiquette: DON'T touch the body under any circumstances. Sometimes the casket has a glass to prevent this from happening.
We don't remove them. You can use what is called an eye cap to put over the flattened eyeball to recreate the natural curvature of the eye. You can also inject tissue builder directly into the eyeball and fill it up. And sometimes, the embalming fluid will fill the eye to normal size.
A funerary staff member presses a button or operates a lever to release the internal gears of the device. Slowly, the spools on the sides of the device turn, loosening the straps and allowing the casket to drop at a controlled rate.
Their mouth may fall open slightly, as the jaw relaxes. Their body may release any waste matter in their bladder or rectum. The skin turns pale and waxen as the blood settles.
One of the first things people traditionally do if someone dies is, they will tie the big toes of the dead body together. This is very important because it will tighten up the muladhara in such a way that the body cannot be invaded by that life once again.
However, on average, a body buried within a typical coffin usually starts to break down within a year, but takes up to a decade to fully decompose, leaving only the skeleton, Daniel Wescott, director of the Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State University, told Live Science.
On a general level, the eco-friendly caskets and coffins are rarely sealed as it would defeat the primary purpose. They are supposed to break down and return to the soil together with the body. Everything, body, and casket, will become part of nature one last time.
Yes, they lock, but they don't need a key most of the time. Typically, coffins are secured shut with six or more screws spread across the coffin's lid. Turning these will lock the coffin shut.
Unlike caskets, coffins have six sides to them instead of four. Plus, the top of the coffin is wider than its bottom. Coffins get tapered to conform to the shape of a human form. A coffin also has a removable lid while caskets have lids with hinges.