During Halloween season, it’s not uncommon to see neighbors’ front yards adorned with fake tombstones and ghosts. While most people use the terms graveyard and cemetery interchangeably, there is a slight difference in definition.
Historically, a graveyard was located adjacent to a church. During the Middle Ages, wealthy or influential Christians were buried inside the church, sometimes in a crypt, and less privileged congregants were interred outside in the graveyard.
Definition
A graveyard is an area where the dead are buried. It can be used to bury people of any religion or faith. A graveyard is usually located near a church and may contain many tombs or grave stones. Often, it is also used as a place to pay one’s respects to deceased loved ones.
In the past, graveyards were known as burying grounds or churchyards. These tended to be small plots of land where local families would bury their relatives when they died.
This practice continued after the rise of industrialisation and urbanisation when public cemeteries were developed. These were generally much larger than churchyards and allowed for burials of people from all social backgrounds. Those wishing to be buried were usually required to attend church regularly and express their desire to do so upon their death. This meant that churchyards tended to be reserved for Christians. This is not the case with modern cemetery’s, which are open to people of all faiths and are usually not associated with any particular church body.
History
Historically, people would bury family members on their own land. The area used for this was known as a graveyard. When a church became involved, the burial site was called a cemetery.
Often, richer families were interred inside the church rather than in the graveyard. The rest were buried in the graveyard. Those who could afford it had their headstones engraved with names, dates of birth and death and other information. They competed for artistic quality, hoping to have their family headstone stand out among those of the less privileged.
Cemetery is a newer word than graveyard. It was first used in 1485, and it comes from the Greek koimeterion, meaning sleeping place. Today, the terms are usually used interchangeably. They both refer to a burial ground, though a cemetery is usually more organized than a graveyard. People don’t have a bone to pick with you for mixing up the two. Just be sure you know the etymology of each so you don’t accidentally make a faux pas.
Size
Depending on location, population, and usage, the size of a cemetery may vary. For example, some cemeteries in urban areas may be smaller due to space constraints, while others are larger. Also, different cultures have varying burial space requirements. For instance, a double grave should be at least 8 feet deep, while a single one is 6 feet deep.
In general, lots are sized 11×19 or 13 1/2×18 for non-monument lots that hold 8 to 10 graves, and 12×20 or 13 1/2×20 for monument lots that hold up to 20 graves. However, there are some lots that allow for more or less than the minimum space requirements. This is particularly true of old cemeteries where there are many single graves still available on “old ground.” Some of these older single graves are up to 200 years old.
Types
The terms graveyard and cemetery can be used interchangeably today, but if you are concerned with linguistic precision, use the word graveyard when it refers to a resting place on church grounds and cemetery for non-church affiliated burial sites. The word “graveyard” is older and has more religious associations.
During the Middle Ages, rich and influential Christians were interred inside the church in a crypt, while less wealthy congregants were buried outside in what was known as the churchyard or graveyard. Families of the deceased were allowed to erect elaborate headstones with their names, dates of birth and death, and other information such as their coat of arms.
Nowadays, many people choose cremation instead of traditional burial and are buried in what is called a cremation cemetery or memorial park. These can be located in a separate section of a traditional cemetery or are found in columbarium walls at a funeral home. A small number of independent mausoleums can also be found in cemeteries, and many families set aside family plots in these for their loved ones.