People often use the words graveyard and cemetery interchangeably. However, there are distinct differences between the two.

A graveyard is a area specifically set aside for burials, usually associated with a church. It may also have rules and regulations regarding the headstones that are used. It is a much more permanent setting than a natural burial site.

Definition

A graveyard is a place where people are buried after they die. The term may also refer to the grave itself, which is usually a stone marker with a name, date of death and possibly some other information.

Cemeteries and graveyards have been around for thousands of years. Early burials took place outside of cities, but as cities grew, people tended to build cemeteries closer to churches. This is why the terms cemetery and graveyard are sometimes used interchangeably, even though they have different histories.

Before the 7th century, Christian burials were only allowed on church property, which was called a churchyard. When this became unsustainable, completely separate places for burying people started appearing, which were not affiliated with any church and therefore did not have to be located within the boundaries of a church. These new locations were called graveyards.

Origin

In the Middle Ages, wealthy or otherwise influential Christians were generally interred inside a church after they died, often in a crypt beneath the floor. Less well-off congregants were buried in the yard outside, which came to be known as the graveyard.

The more modern word cemetery comes from the Greek koimeterion, meaning sleeping place, but it came into use only after church-affiliated graveyards began to fill up and it became necessary to create new burial grounds elsewhere. The two words are often used interchangeably, though cemetery is sometimes preferred because it suggests a more secular site.

If you’ve ever worked late into the night, you may have pulled a graveyard shift. This spooky sounding term, however, does not refer to working a graveyard (though it could). Instead, the term originates from a combination of the phrases saved by the bell and dead ringer, both of which refer to late-night work. The phrase is also associated with a number of other spooky movies, including Jaws and Alien.

Meaning

Graveyards are important places for people to bury their dead. They help the community to feel at peace with their loss and come together in celebration of the lives of those buried there.

A graveyard can be a frightening place for readers to encounter, which can build tension and fear in your story. Using the adjective “chilling” helps to portray your readers’ discomfort in this setting, allowing you to evoke feelings of horror and fear in them.

The varied architectural styles of a cemetery can provide inspiration for your writing. Grecian urns rub shoulders with Egyptian obelisks, and Celtic crosses with angels and plinths. These monuments can represent your characters’ beliefs and ideas in a funereal way, letting you convey their personalities through the various symbols on their tombstones. These examples are programmed from corpora and may not reflect the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors.

Usage

Graveyard is a powerful card that can be very effective in decks that rely on Skeletons or spells. However, it can be a difficult card to play well against. It requires a lot of knowledge and skill to use effectively.

In order to counter a Graveyard, players should build their decks with units that can deal damage quickly. These include Guards, Lumberjack, Witch, Minions, and Barbarians. These units are fast and have high hitpoints, making them good counters to the Graveyard.

Also, it is important to have cards in your deck that can be used as Poison bait. This can prevent your opponent from saving their Poison for defense and will make it harder for them to defend against your Graveyard. A good way to do this is by playing a card like Saheeli, Sublime Artificer. He is fast and has a large range, which makes him an excellent counter to the Graveyard. However, he is also susceptible to Poison.

A well designed cemetery should be both calming and inviting to visitors. Adding decorative features, different shades of green, proper proportions of hardscape to softscapes and providing directional signage that complements the overall layout are just a few of the components needed for a successful cemetery design.

Good cemetery design adds value to a burial plot, often increasing revenues. Those who choose plots with views or close proximity to park amenities will pay premiums for the choice.

Graves

Graves are a vital part of the cemetery design. It’s important to make the experience of bidding farewell to a loved one as beautiful as possible.

It is also important to create a landscape that encourages connection with family and community. This is accomplished by providing a variety of burial options including private estate gardens, bench estates and traditional lawn burials as well as columbaria and ossuaries for cremation interments.

It is crucial to design a cemetery layout that takes into account drainage and the needs of the surrounding environment. This can be done by installing subsoil drains, reed bed construction or surface water catchment systems. Creating ponds in the cemetery can offer additional beauty and serve as a resting place for wildlife. It is also a great way to help with erosion and reduce the need for irrigation.

Mausoleums & Columbariums

When full body burial is not desired or possible, mausoleums and columbaria offer a beautiful alternative. A mausoleum is a building designed for above ground placement of caskets, whereas a columbarium is a space for the interment of cremains (urns). These structures may be public/shared or private/family and have varying design options from a basic architectural style to a more decorative look.

Columbaria also allow for a more efficient use of cemetery space which helps reduce maintenance costs and environmental footprints (when using aquamation over flame cremation). As with graves, mourners often leave flowers on columbarium walls – newer designs include metal clips beside each plaque to hold a single flower or small posy. This practice is a respectful and timeless custom. These are a beautiful addition to any cemetery.

Memorials

Once a cemetery master plan has been completed, the design process can begin. A variety of different cemetery design solutions can be developed and evaluated for their fit to the site and community. Areas with constraints to development will be identified and worked around where possible.

Headstones or memorials can be designed to convey the individual’s beliefs and relationships through an inscription cast or carved on the face of the stone. A photo may be etched or embedded into the stone, and artful emblems may also be included.

Memorial design requires attention to the overall landscape of the cemetery. Decorative elements, plantings with a range of textures and colors, special water features, and thoughtful directional signage must all contribute to the aesthetic. A well-designed cemetery will be a place of comfort and beauty.

Monuments

Cemeteries can be seen as an urban green infrastructure and serve a number of functions beyond the primary one of burial. They can help to regulate temperatures, prevent soil erosion and floods, provide habitats for insects and small animals and provide recreational opportunities for the public.

Upright monuments can be as large or as small as your cemetery allows, and can include a variety of designs. They are typically built up off the ground using a base, and can incorporate features such as sculpted slabs, porcelain portraits, bronze or aluminum accents, hand-tooled lettering, and more.

Whenever possible, we try to utilize the natural landscape of a cemetery as opposed to building on new land. This may involve working around features such as a scenic water feature, desirable wooded hillside or high point.

Interior Design

Many modern cemetery designs focus on a spiritual trend. This includes ponds, native landscaping and an aesthetic that invites wildlife into the cemetery grounds.

Cemetery landscape design can also be a way to connect with the community. Including your community in the progress of your cemetery master plan shows that you value their opinion and feedback.

Often, unique areas in a cemetery require more care than others. These can include wetlands, wooded areas or hilly landscapes that are hard to develop. These situations require more time for thinking and can result in more creative solutions for the cemetery. Working with these challenges can result in a more interesting place that people enjoy visiting. This is important for a cemetery because people are attracted to places that have personality.

A mortuary is a place where dead people are kept. It is often found in hospitals or medical centers for autopsies and investigations.

Most standalone morgues don’t offer full funeral services like funeral homes do. They focus on preparing the body and can be more affordable if you don’t need a casket.

Storage

When a person passes away, he or she needs to be stored until it can be identified, taken for autopsy, or otherwise prepared for burial or cremation. That is where a mortuary comes in.

Most adults have seen depictions of a morgue in films and television shows. While they tend to be somewhat overdramatic, the basic idea is true: a morgue is where dead people are kept temporarily until they can be examined and disposed of.

While mortuaries often have a specific location in hospitals or medical centers, they can also be found at funeral homes and other types of care facilities. The goal is to provide empathetic handling of the recently deceased and maintain strict hygienic standards.

To prevent bacteria from spreading, mortuary items must be properly stored and transported. Using a mortuary cooler is a great way to store bodies while still providing easy access for staff to handle them. Many different sizes and types are available, from walk-in units to single-body freezers.

Embalming

Surgical embalming is when blood and internal fluids are replaced with a mixture of chemicals that slow organic decomposition and restore the body to a more lifelike appearance. The embalming solution typically includes formaldehyde, ethanol, glutaraldehyde, water and a dye.

Once the cadaver is prepared, an embalmer checks vital signs to ensure that death has occurred. Embalmers look for clouded corneas, lividity and rigor mortis. They also check for a pulse in the carotid or radial artery.

Then an incision is made in the lower abdomen. A sharp surgical instrument called a trocar is then inserted into the incision and used to puncture each organ in the chest and abdomen, drain them of liquid and liberate accumulated gases. The embalmer then injects the remaining embalming solution into each organ and into the body cavities.

Choosing between embalming and alternative preservation methods such as refrigeration is an important decision that should be based on religious needs, cultural traditions and personal views. Your memorial specialist can advise you on the best options available to thoughtfully commemorate your loved one.

Preparation for Burial or Cremation

A mortuary can be a place that offers both burial and cremation services or it may only offer the former. Depending on the service provider, they may also focus more on the mortuary sciences and less on funeral services, which are often more focused on memorialization and the end-of-life ceremonies.

When the time comes to either inter a body or send it to be cremated, there are a few key steps. The first is to make sure that the identification process was accurate and that authorization was obtained to cremate the body.

Once the correct information has been confirmed, the body is washed and dressed. This is a traditional ritual in some religions and it can be a final act of dignity for the deceased person.

Some mortuaries use hydro aspirators in the embalming process, which helps to wash and sanitize the body. The body is then placed in a casket or into an urn for cremation.

Identification

During the identification process, the bodies are photographed and any other external features of the deceased, including tattoos, scars and skin markings are recorded. Forensic osteology is also used to examine the bones of the deceased.

The identification process is based on best evidence and a provisional match is made for each individual. This is confirmed by a member of the identification board (either a coroner or procurator fiscal) and is then presented to family members for their view.

If a body is not identified within 7 days of admission to the mortuary or has inconclusive fingerprint results, the case will be referred to the ID unit. This involves scanning the body using a LODOX StatScan X-ray machine and examining the internal features for potential markers of identity, such as healed fractures, surgical interventions and implants. Identifying a body takes time and can be traumatic for relatives. Therefore, a viewing appointment system is in place.

The graveyard is an area of land used for burial. In Europe, wealthy congregants were interred inside a church in a crypt, but less-wealthy people were buried outside in the churchyard. Over time, this section of land became known as a graveyard.

Re-using old grave sites can upset families, especially if family members were unaware that the old graves could be re-used. Often, cemetery authorities attempt to notify families before re-using old grave sites.

What is a Graveyard?

A graveyard is a place where people are buried. It’s a compound word, formed from the proto-Germanic ‘graban’, meaning to dig, and the Old English ‘gardenan’, an enclosed area of land. During the Middle Ages, wealthy or influential Christians were usually interred inside a church after death, in a crypt beneath the floor. Less affluent congregants were buried in the outside section of the churchyard, which came to be known as the graveyard.

As Europe’s population grew, it became clear that the capacity of church graveyards would soon be exceeded. Hence, new independent sites for burial, which did not have religious affiliations, appeared, and were called cemeteries.

Today, you can use the terms graveyard and cemetery interchangeably. However, if linguistic precision is important to you, it’s best to stick to the traditional definition of a graveyard being located on church grounds or adjacent to one. A cemetery, on the other hand, is a more modern concept that does not have any connection to a place of worship and is often quite large in size.

The History of Graveyards

In many cultures, people associate cemeteries with superstition and legend. They are believed to have a dark aura and serve as altars in supposed black magic ceremonies, devil worshipping and similar clandestine happenings. People often believe that the ghosts of the dead are allowed to roam the grounds at night time and can be seen mingling with the living. They are also believed to be a place where witches and sorcerers collect skulls and bones for their sinister rituals.

In the past, wealthy families would have their dead buried in churchyards or graveyards, while the poor were buried on the outside of the walls. This created a division between the social classes and this is illustrated in Shakespeare’s famous scene where Hamlet discovers that Yorick’s skull has been dug up.

As population increased, churches ran out of space to bury the dead. They were also worried that the stench from a full cemetery could cause disease and even epidemics. This led to the development of new burial grounds away from city centre areas.

The Difference Between a Graveyard and a Cemetery

Despite being used interchangeably in common speech, there is actually a difference between a graveyard and a cemetery. The difference is subtle but important.

Graveyards are traditionally a burial ground that adjoins a church. This means that they can only be used by members of that particular church or religion. This limits the number of people who can be buried there and means that they are smaller than a typical cemetery.

Cemeteries, on the other hand, are not associated with a specific church and are much larger. This also allows them to bury non-religious people as well.

There are a few other differences between the two. A cemetery will often be newer and better maintained than a graveyard. Also, a cemetery will have more space and be more neatly divided into plots for each family. Graveyards, on the other hand, will often have older tombstones and a more chaotic layout. This is because they tend to be located in old churchyards.

The Future of Graveyards

As urbanisation accelerates, finding enough space for cemeteries is becoming a huge challenge. The cemetery industry has had to come up with a few innovative strategies to deal with this issue.

In a lot of countries, people rent the right to bury their bodies in a specific spot. The graves aren’t kept forever though, they get cleared as soon as the relatives or a church stops paying for the space. This makes for a much faster throughflow of burial spots.

Companies are also working on eco-friendly ways of dealing with dead people. For example, some have created tree planting urns that turn your cremated remains into seeds and help them grow into trees.

Cemeteries are a sensitive space that requires special care. Creating a cemetery master plan can help you avoid common problems such as sunken markers and unkempt grass.

Bringing together design sensibilities, site analysis, and community needs, modern cemetery designers have built a reputation for thoughtful, intuitive, and dignified work.

Signage

In cemeteries, signage is important for both orienting visitors within the cemetery and for identifying specific grave sites for friends and family members. Having signage that is legible and understandable to all visitors requires consideration of the design vernacular for the cemetery as well as standardized symbols that are universally recognized.

A cemetery entrance should be a gateway that welcomes people into a special space and sets the tone for what is to come. It should be designed to align with the landscape and architectural design vernacular of the place and to magnify its unique traditions, such as a boulevard that traces a route through a cemetery or a display of donated American burial flags.

Signage at grave sites and columbarium walls should be readable despite the sun’s constant movement over the course of a day, requiring careful evaluation of materials to ensure that the design can endure. In addition, signs should be positioned appropriately to prevent flooding or other environmental problems that can occur on a cemetery property.

Grading and Drainage

A cemetery has to do more than provide a place to lay down a body. It has to be a vibrant celebration of life, family, history, individuality, and community — integrated within a shared space. And that requires a special kind of know-how.

Unfortunately, many cemeteries obliterate their unique settings with development that makes them look like the graveyards along every highway in America. But it doesn’t have to be this way. With thoughtful design, it is possible to preserve the natural setting and still create a beautiful and meaningful place that honors the dead.

Theming

Cemeteries provide an important place for the public to grieve and remember. The design and construction of memorials help visitors and mourners understand the impact of death. They are also an important step in the healing process.

If a cemetery has unique natural features such as a waterfall, wooded hillside or high point, these should be prominently highlighted in the site plan. The location of these distinctive elements can make a positive impact on the final cemetery design and help establish a unique identity for the cemetery.

Depending on the site, it may be possible to incorporate a cremation garden and/or mausoleum into the cemetery master plan. This may allow the cemetery to generate needed revenue for future investment in cemetery product lines. In addition, it can help to reduce the number of grave sites required by allowing families to inter their loved ones cremation remains in a garden or columbaria.

Accessibility

Providing accessibility to all visitors is a vital aspect of cemetery design. This can be accomplished through the use of well designed paths, ensuring that sidewalks are present throughout the property and providing wheelchair access to all graves.

Using existing natural features to their fullest potential is another important aspect of cemetery design. Whether this means utilizing a waterway or taking advantage of an elevation change, these thoughtful considerations can add value to the cemetery and increase its marketability.

Lastly, it is important to consider the impact of any new technologies on the cemetery. In our studies, it was found that many visitors did not prefer the idea of a memorial display that would be able to respond to questions from mourners. Additionally, the idea of having an AI represent a deceased person was perceived as unsettling for mourners. These issues need to be carefully considered and evaluated during the design process. A well developed master plan can help a client balance development costs with revenue and capacity production, as well as improve pedestrian and vehicular flow and navigation through the cemetery.

Cemeteries can be a great source of information about an ancestor. The inscriptions on grave markers often provide clues to family relationships. The style of the headstone can also tell you a lot about the person who was buried there.

Before visiting a cemetery, it is important to plan ahead. Be sure to bring a map, water and snacks. Also, don’t travel alone – many cemeteries are remote and unmarked.

Modern day cemeteries

Cemeteries are some of the best-preserved green spaces in modern cities. However, cultural norms prevent them from serving their full potential as public spaces that serve the needs of the living and honor the dead. Despite this, some modern cemeteries are beginning to realize that building a relationship with the community through everyday use can support their mission and sustainability.

In the past, the dead were buried in graveyards that surrounded churches in towns and city centers. Eventually, landscaped cemeteries were built outside of town, which helped separate the dead from the living. These new spaces also shifted burial practices, with many families purchasing plots to be buried in perpetuity.

Today, most modern cemeteries feature a system for mapping the locations of graves and monuments. This map is used both by the cemetery administration to manage space and to help family members locate specific plots. In addition, some graves are marked with small timber remembrance crosses or, in the case of Jewish war graves, a timber Star of David.

History of cemeteries

Many cultures consider the burial of their dead to be a sacred and honorable practice, and family mausoleums and graveyards have been in use for centuries. In ancient Egypt, pharaohs were buried in royal tombs and in Europe, churchyards were often used for graves. In the late 18th Century, landscaped parks-like cemeteries began to be developed outside urban areas. These landscaped cemeteries sparked a change in ideas about how cemetery space should be used.

Traditional cemetery burials take up a lot of space and are resource-intensive, and they can also lead to groundwater contamination. For these reasons, many people are choosing to forgo traditional burials and opt for cremation.

Traditionally, many families were responsible for the maintenance of headstones and grave markers. This resulted in a variety of styles and sizes, which can make it difficult to find a specific grave. Some cemeteries are re-using older graves to free up space for new interments, but this is often met with resistance from local descendants.

Types of cemeteries

There are many different types of cemeteries. Each one is designed and organized to reflect the religion, culture, beliefs, and habits of the community that it serves. In addition, there are many different types of graves and monuments. Some of these include: monumental cemetery, memorial park, garden cemetery, religious cemetery, municipal or city cemetery, VA cemetery, and natural or green burial grounds.

Some modern cemeteries also offer a number of other services. These may include genealogy information, flower placement programs, and special events for holidays like Mother’s Day and Veterans Day.

Most of these modern cemeteries have family plots sectioned off within them. A large monument called a marble obelisk usually has the surname or last name of the family on it, and smaller stones around it with first names and other relevant information mark individual graves. Mausoleums, which are above-ground entombment sites, are also common in these cemeteries. They often contain concrete or stone crypts (small rooms) that hold multiple caskets.

Locations of cemeteries

The location of a cemetery is determined by a number of factors, including geography, religious beliefs, and aesthetic and sanitary considerations. Sanitary precautions, for example, led the ancient Romans to bury their dead outside the walls of the city. Churchyards were also used for burials in Europe. Today, the majority of cemeteries are located in urban areas, although rural cemeteries continue to exist.

In addition to providing a place for people to visit and pay their respects, many modern cemeteries offer a variety of visitor services. These include genealogy information and flower placement programs. They may also host special memorial events. For example, the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn hosts a monthly Death Cafe and partners with the encyclopedic travel site Atlas Obscura for an annual event called Into the Veil. They also feature gardens and park-like settings that make them popular locations for family outings.

A memorial park provides an atmosphere of natural beauty, peace for quiet meditation and a sense of dignity and honor to the memory of loved ones. It also offers a space for remembrance and renewal.

A memorial park merges infrastructure with ecology, an approach that Nelson Byrd Woltz principal Thomas Woltz says is increasingly necessary as cities become denser and more vulnerable to climate change.

Symbolism

When the construction of the June 5 Memorial Park was launched, it became a focus for discussions about ways to honor those who have served in the military and sacrificed their lives. Among the unique features of the site is a series of round markers in the concrete that commemorate where bodies were found in the collapsed building. They are illuminated at night in a pattern that corresponds to the windows in the sculpture and reflect the colors chosen by family members.

A subcam video captures the SA looking at children offering flowers at the Cenotaph and explains how his experience with the memorial is informed by this juxtaposition. As he continues to move through the space, it triggers other experiences that expose him to a series of dichotomies including war/peace, death/life, and past/future. These are then connected through a metaphor involving the A-Dome, which is viewed as being in ruins as it stands surrounded by more modern buildings.

Design

After a series of severe droughts and hurricanes decimated the park’s pine-dominant canopy, Memorial Park Conservancy, Houston’s Uptown Development Authority and the City of Houston launched a master plan process to reconcile contemporary recreational use with a diverse native ecology that Houstonians value. The result is a plan that prioritizes ecological resilience and interpretation of the site’s historic narratives.

The new Memorial Park Land Bridge and Prairie, which opened this year, is an example of blending habitat restoration with infrastructure – “landscape infrastructure,” as Nelson Byrd Woltz principal Thomas Woltz calls it. As cities become both denser and more vulnerable to natural disasters, he says, “Why should we separate habitat restoration from large scale infrastructure projects?”

The design of the memorial space responds to changing attitudes towards death, with flat, flush markers instead of vertical monuments. The memorial space also reflects cultural traditions with an area dedicated to Chinese burial practices, including circular incense rings and a distinctive marker.

Function

A memorial park serves as more than just a final resting place for loved ones. It also provides a peaceful space where families can visit and reflect on the lives of their loved ones, thereby fostering communities and promoting healing among those who have experienced loss.

In the context of this particular project, the design of the memorial park reflects the values and core beliefs of the Illinois State Police. The theme “Integrity, Service, Pride” is embedded both symbolically and literally throughout the various experiences a visitor will encounter in the park.

It is hoped that these various aspects will help visitors experience an instilled sense of honor for the men and women who serve with the Illinois State Police, as well as the sacrifices made by their comrades’ families and the gratitude they feel toward them. These sentiments are reflected both in the public gathering spaces and in more intimate experiences such as memorial inscriptions, sculptural elements, and hardscape materials.

History

Located at the base of the nation’s premier Air Force Base, Memorial Park offers a variety of recreational outdoor activities. The park is home to miles of multi-use trails, a running and exercise loop, an arboretum, and softball fields. It also hosts a public golf course and a public swimming pool.

The first monument added to the park was a Gold Star Monument, erected in collaboration with local Delaware Gold Star families and in style guidelines established by the Woody Williams Foundation, a national organization that helps establish permanent Gold Star Memorials for fallen veterans. The newest addition to the park is the Submariners Monument which honors the 52 US Navy submariners that were lost during WWII.

After years of exposure to the elements, the original six-panel Walls of Remembrance were showing signs of wear and tear. It took DRBA’s Maintenance crews two years to restore them and the Walls were rededicated on Memorial Day in 2011. Thousands of names have been engraved on these historical markers by members of the community who lost loved ones during the Holocaust.

funeral bureau

Licensed funeral directors oversee the arrangement, preparation and burial or cremation of a deceased person. This may be done at the home or place of death, by telephone or over the internet.

The Bureau licenses, regulates and investigates complaints against California funeral establishments, funeral directors, embalmers, apprentice embalmers, cemetery brokers and salespersons, cremated remains disposers and approximately 200 cemeteries in the state.

New York State

New York State Funeral Directors Association is a trade organization dedicated to supporting & elevating professionals in the industry. Members benefit from a range of products & services that enhance their business. They also receive updated industry information & compliance materials. The organization also advocates for legislative reforms to ensure that federal & state laws are fair to funeral professionals.

If you’re a licensed funeral director in New York, you have a position of trust with the public and must honor their wishes in the most sensitive manner possible. Any allegations of misconduct, from mishandling remains to taking advantage of emotionally-vulnerable customers, could put your license in jeopardy. The Bureau of Funeral Directing takes all reports seriously & has the power to revoke your license.

All “funeral providers” must comply with the Funeral Rule. This includes funeral homes and independent funeral directors. The rule requires all providers to give a General Price List (GPL) to any person who inquires in person about funeral goods or services. However, this requirement does not apply when discussing prices over the phone or in writing.

Georgia

In Georgia, funeral service providers must be licensed. This includes funeral directors and embalmers, and the licenses are issued by the Board of Funeral Service Practitioners. The licensing process involves an exam, training and education requirements. The Board also imposes other restrictions and rules.

The Board has six licensed funeral directors and embalmers on its board, along with one consumer protection advocate representative. Its members are appointed by the governor. Its staff consists of an executive director, administrative assistants and field representatives.

The professional licensing board regulates funeral directors, embalmers, apprentices and mortuary students. It also enforces the laws regarding preneed funeral contracts and cemeteries. The Board of Funeral Service Practitioners also provides examination information and materials, continuing education opportunities, licensure applications and renewals, disciplinary information and more. The board’s list of active funeral establishments and funeral directors is available online and is searchable by license number, name, county, zip code or address. The list is updated regularly.

Nevada

The funeral services industry is a sensitive and emotional one, and consumers should be cautious when selecting a provider. The Nevada Funeral Consumers Alliance provides help and support for families in the area, serving Reno, Sparks, Carson City and more. The organization also advocates for consumer rights in the funeral industry.

The organization warns against funeral homes that charge for caskets when they don’t have to, and those that push you to buy their caskets when you prefer cremation. It also reminds consumers that funeral homes don’t have to sell you a casket for cremation, and that federal law allows you to choose an alternative container made of unfinished wood, pressed wood or fiberboard.

The organization recently took on Hites Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Henderson after a state funeral board director found bodies improperly stacked, sheeting soaked in blood, and a severed torso in a neighborhood trash can. The state funeral board suspended the license of the firm and its manager, Eric Lee, but didn’t revoke it.

California

The Bureau advocates consumer protection and licensee compliance through proactive education and consistent interpretation and application of laws governing the funeral industry. The Bureau regulates funeral establishments, funeral directors, embalmers and apprentice embalmers; cremated remains disposers, and crematories and hydrolysis facilities; and nearly 200 licensed cemeteries in California.

For more information, visit our website.

The Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA) is a non-profit organization that promotes advance planning for funeral needs and the consumer’s right to choose a meaningful, dignified, affordable funeral. We have provided a list of important questions that consumers should ask when comparing prices and services.

Licensing requirements for embalmers and funeral directors differ by state. The CCFB has compiled a listing of licensing requirements by state, including the number of hours required for continuing education. Applicants must also pass the state law exam and the National Board examination. Licensure applications take, on average, forty days from the date of submission to the CCFB to be approved.

mortuary

Often times, a standalone mortuary will only offer a quick viewing for immediate family members and on-site cremation without full-service offerings. This is an important distinction, especially for those with religious preferences and rites to be observed.

Any refrigerated space spacious enough to hold a body can act as a mortuary during an emergency.

Preparation

A mortuary is a place where people can be held after death. It is commonly attached to a funeral home and may focus on preparing the body for burial or cremation, or both. It can also assist with arranging services and ceremonies.

The preparation of the body starts soon after death in order to prevent complications from rigor mortis – a stiffening of the muscles and joints that usually sets in within two to seven hours of passing. This process includes washing the body, dressing and positioning it and making arrangements to transport it.

For bodies that will be buried, embalming is done in the morgue to improve the appearance of the corpse before the wake or ceremony. The body can then be dressed, fixed with makeup and prepared for display in the casket or urn. It can also be frozen for body donation or green burial purposes, or prepared for air or ground travel to another state for an autopsy or organ donation.

Embalming

The embalmer replaces the blood in the body with chemicals. Often this is done by forcing fluid into the major blood vessels via an incision made on either the carotid or jugular vein. The embalmer then pumps a mixture of formaldehyde, methanol, isopropanol, detergents and dyes through the vessels into the body.

This process does not prevent deterioration, but it slows it down greatly. The body can be preserved for up to 3 weeks with this technique.

During this time signs of ageing like bruises can be smoothed out and signs of illness, like sunken eyes, closed with a fine coating of mortuary makeup. Many people are surprised to see how much their loved one looks the same after they’ve been embalmed.

Burial

Depending on culture and religion, a burial may or may not be part of the end-of-life ritual. A number of cultures bury their dead; these include:

The dead are dressed in clothing of choice and placed in a casket or other container, which is then placed in the ground. Some burials are heavily ritualized, and embalming or mummification is often used to delay decomposition. For example, the ancient Egyptians buried their dead in tombs and crypts.

Some mortuaries also have chapels where a funeral service is held before the body is buried. They can also provide a space for family members to receive friends and loved ones after the death, before the final viewing. Some have a full range of services, including on-site cremation, while others are less focused on the mortuary science and more about helping grieving families through their mourning process. The term mortuary is sometimes used interchangeably with the term morgue, though morgues are typically attached to hospitals and departments of forensic medicine.

Disposition

A mortuary will typically handle the body until it’s ready to be transferred to a funeral home. This may include arranging for caskets or urns, and preparing the body for viewing. Some mortuaries will also arrange for burial or cremation services as well.

Cremation has increasingly become the method of choice for many families. The process involves placing the body into a machine which heats it with natural gas and then uses a scrubber to filter out any remaining ash. The ashes are then usually spread over a memorial site or turned into jewelry, but some families choose to bury the remains instead.

There is always a chance that a morgue worker could contract an infectious disease while working with a corpse, but if proper precautions are taken the risk should be low. Generally, only highly trained professionals work at a mortuary. Sharps such as scalpels, scissors and lancets should be placed in a sharps container after use and disposed of by a medical waste contractor.

graveyard

A graveyard is an area where people are buried. It is also sometimes referred to as a cemetery or burial ground.

Many families consider the re-use of a grave site to be a desecration of their loved one’s resting place. This can often cause problems when cemetery authorities have to consider this option.

What is a graveyard?

A graveyard is an area of land where people are buried. It can also be referred to as a cemetery, though this term is usually reserved for more modern burial grounds that are not associated with a particular church.

In the Middle Ages, burial was a sacred practice under the control of the Church (the Christian organization), and burying could only take place on the lands around a church, or in the part of the churchyard dedicated to graves. When people wished to have their bodies buried away from church land, they were moved to new graveyards.

The caretakers of a graveyard dig and fill the graves when someone dies, usually before mourners arrive. They may use mechanical equipment to reduce the labour. Historically, the term gravedigger has been used for this job. Nowadays, the caretakers are more likely to be called cemetery workers. They are also responsible for maintenance of the cemetery grounds and buildings.

What is a cemetery?

A cemetery is a place where people come to mourn the deaths of their loved ones. It is usually a large outdoor space with graves grouped together, and sometimes a chapel. It is often maintained by a full-time staff that digs the graves and cares for the tombstones and monuments.

Cemeteries are normally owned by a public or private institution, and they may be religious or secular in nature. The ownership structure of the cemetery determines the mix of burial options and services offered.

Historically, graveyards were attached to churches or other places of worship. Today, a cemetery can be located anywhere, and it is not always tied to a particular church. The terms are still used interchangeably, but the word cemetery implies a more permanent resting place than a graveyard. It is also more likely to offer a wider range of burial options. In addition to traditional burial, many cemeteries have areas for green or natural burials that allow the bodies to return to the earth quickly so they can be re-used.

What is the difference between a graveyard and a cemetery?

Although the words graveyard and cemetery are often used interchangeably, there is a difference between them. The term “graveyard” refers to a burial ground that is attached to a church, while the term “cemetery” refers to a burial ground that does not have a church.

Graveyards are generally smaller than cemeteries, and they tend to have older tombstones that may be in a more disorganized way. Cemeteries are larger and have more modern family plots, which are neatly organized into rows.

Another difference is that graveyards are traditionally run by a church, while cemeteries are not. This means that graveyards can often be choosier about who is buried there, as they must follow strict religious guidelines. This can lead to some controversy, as many families feel that their loved ones are being disrespected if they are moved from one grave to another. However, this is typically only done when the burial site is full, and the family does not want to wait for a new grave.

What is the meaning of the word “graveyard”?

The word “graveyard” can be used to describe a whole area of land that is reserved for the burial of dead people or individual gravesites within such an area. It can also refer to a burial ground that is attached to a church or other religious facility, in which case it is sometimes called a cemetery.

Alternatively, it can be used to describe an empty lot or garden that has been turned into a graveyard by the removal of all the plants and the placement of memorials. Finally, it can also be used to describe a collection of gravestones that has been assembled in one place.

These example sentences were automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Please help us improve our language guidelines by reporting any errors in these examples. You can find definitions of these and many other words in our glossary. These example sentences are from Corpora and were automatically generated by the writing application Twine.