You might have heard that you should face a headstone to the east. 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.
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.
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.
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 scriptures do not give any instructions as to the place a person should be buried, neither is the place of burial connected in any way with where the soul of the departed will spend eternity. However, there are mentioned in the Old Testament, burial places for kings, priests and some families.
Biblical Inspiration
Speaking of Christians, the practice of east-facing tombstones can also be traced to the bible. The scripture (Matthew 24:27), which talks about the second coming of Christ, teaches that he will come from the east. This belief also affects how Christian churches are built.
Not all cultures hold funerary memorials forty days after death. Some pagan traditions believe that the soul of a recently deceased person continues to wander the earth for forty days; other religious traditions believe the soul will rest in the Lord's hands after death.
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.
For example, human burial legislation in NSW requires the top of the coffin to be buried no less than 900 millimetres below the natural surface level of the soil. This works out to around three feet. When you take the cask dimensions into account, you're looking at an overall single-coffin depth of four to five feet.
The body takes between ten to fifteen years to decay to a point where you may just find bones, teeth and hair remaining in the casket. There may also be some excess tissue and clothing fibers that withstood the ten years of decay.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
While approval is required for the burial of bodily remains outside a public cemetery, there is no impediment to the burial of cremated remains on private property. This may be an option that you and your family may wish to consider further.
When I purchase a burial site, is it mine forever? In accordance with South Australian legislation the Adelaide Cemeteries Authority offers Interment Rights for a period of 50 or 99 years for burial and memorial sites. Interment Rights can be renewed at any time during the tenure period.
Grave reuse has been legally practised in South Australia since 1863, explains Robert Pitt, CEO of the Adelaide Cemeteries Authority. When a grave site's interment rights are issued, it's for a period of either 50 or 99 years. After that point, graves are available to be reused.
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.
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.
In a coffin or casket, a body will decompose over time. During the first few months underground, the body will typically undergo active decay, putrefaction, and blackening. Over several decades, the tissue and organs will continue to break down and liquefy until only the teeth remain.
Nine night is a separate event to the funeral itself. It's like the Irish wake and takes place nine days after the death of the person. You have a celebration of their life at the point at which their spirit traditionally leaves the body. It's a Jamaican practice with roots in an African tradition.
“Good and contented souls” are instructed “to depart to the mercy of God.” They leave the body, “flowing as easily as a drop from a waterskin”; are wrapped by angels in a perfumed shroud, and are taken to the “seventh heaven,” where the record is kept. These souls, too, are then returned to their bodies.
No matter what a person's preference is, from the Christian perspective, cremation does not prevent one from going to Heaven.