Cemeteries are a beautiful and peaceful place to visit. They can be a great way to celebrate a loved one’s life and connect with them.
Many families like to decorate graves seasonally. Whether it’s red roses during Valentine’s Day or a fresh holly wreath around Christmas, decorating is a great way to show your love for your family.
Location
When people die, they usually are buried in a cemetery. Historically, this was often done in church graveyards that adjoined a church, but that practice has changed with the rise of population.
When a person is buried, the body decays into soil over time. This makes it harder to identify where a particular person is buried, but if the cemetery is laid out in a grid configuration it can be easier to identify specific areas and depressions in the ground.
Many modern cemeteries have websites that can help you locate a specific grave. You can also contact the front office of a cemetery and ask for a map or directions to the location.
Gravestones
A gravestone, tombstone or headstone is a type of marker that sits erect over a burial site. It usually contains the deceased’s name, dates of birth and death, and an epitaph.
Gravestones are traditionally made from granite or bronze but can also be carved from other materials such as marble. The material used can affect the look and durability of the monument.
Slate is one of the most commonly used materials for gravestones and is a popular choice due to its hard-wearing nature. It is easy to engrave and comes in a variety of shades, including black, grey and green.
Aside from inscriptions, many gravestones are decorated with symbols and icons that mean something to the person who is buried. These include animals, flowers, plants and other symbols that honor a deceased person’s religion, culture or heritage.
Monuments and Memorials
Monuments are larger versions of headstones, typically made of stone and carved to remind visitors of the person who is buried there. The information carved on them can be anything from a name to birth date and death date, to an epitaph.
There are a wide variety of designs and styles to choose from, depending on the cemetery you are purchasing a monument for. The best way to see what’s available is to talk to a monument company and get a price quote.
Memorials serve many practical and emotional purposes. They help visitors remember loved ones who have passed away, connect them to their family members and friends, and keep memories alive in a physical form for future generations. They are also acts of remembrance that can help mourners cope with their loss during the grieving process.
Donations
Whether you have a family member buried at a cemetery or you just want to show your support, there are a variety of ways to donate. This will help the cemetery maintain their grounds, as well as the various monuments and memorials they have.
The donations that can be made to a cemetery are generally tax-deductible. However, these gifts must be for general care of the cemetery and not for upkeep of a specific plot or crypt.
Donations may be made to towns, ecclesiastical societies, or cemetery associations (CGS SS 19a-295). These organizations receive and hold in trust donations, the income of which is to be used wholly or in part for the care of cemeteries and burial lots owned by such organizations.
Mausoleums
Mausoleums are structures that hold the remains of people above ground. They can be designed to suit any budget or preference, and they can also serve as a tribute to the person who died.
They are especially useful in areas with poor soil quality that makes it difficult to bury the body. They are also a more environmentally-friendly option, as they don’t require burial beneath the earth like traditional in-ground burials do.
Crypts within a mausoleum are sealed with both inner and outer coverings that use special glue or caulking to keep them from bursting. They may also have a nameplate that tells people who has been buried there.