While the term graveyard is often used interchangeably with cemetery, there are distinct differences. The primary difference is where the burial grounds are located.
In the Middle Ages, wealthy congregants were buried in individual crypts inside their place of worship. Less privileged church members were interred in graveyards. They were marked by a headstone engraved with their name, dates of birth and death and other biographical data.
What Is One?
A graveyard is an area where people are buried. It is also called a cemetery and a resting place. Historically, people were buried close to where they lived or worked, but after the invention of mass burials, they started to be buried in cemeteries.
Often, they were buried in graveyards adjacent to their place of worship. Richer families were able to afford a headstone that was engraved with the name, dates of birth and death and other information.
Because of their superstitious and legend characteristics, graveyards are used at night to hold black magic ceremonies and other clandestine happenings, such as devil-worshipping and thrillsome sex encounters. They are also sometimes used as a site for illegal activities such as grave-robbing (gold teeth and jewelry are often taken from the dead) and other illicit drug or alcohol abuses.
What Is the Difference Between a Graveyard and a Cemetery?
When you’re arranging a funeral for someone close to you, the words graveyard and cemetery can feel confusing because they’re both places where dead bodies are buried. However, the difference between these two locations is more than just semantics—it has implications for your choice of burial site.
Historically, graveyards have always been affiliated with a church. Because they were limited in size by the space available on church grounds, they were typically smaller than modern cemeteries. As church populations grew and church burial grounds became full, a new type of burial location emerged called a cemetery.
Unlike a graveyard, cemeteries are not affiliated with a specific religious institution and allow all religions to be interred there. Because of their larger size and ability to hold more burials, they also have a different feel than traditional graveyards. Today, many people use the terms graveyard and cemetery interchangeably. If you’re a stickler for linguistic precision, though, you might want to reserve the word graveyard for resting places on church grounds and the word cemetery for more modern, separate burial sites that aren’t affiliated with a specific place of worship.
Why Are Cemeteries More Popular?
A cemetery can be a beautiful place. It is a protected space and it can be enjoyed by anyone willing to walk around, observe nature and contemplate the lives of those who died. It can also be a place of memorial and remembrance for friends and family members who have passed away.
Historically, graveyards were a result of church efforts to ensure that people were properly laid to rest after death. When church graveyards began to run out of room, non-church-associated cemeteries were established to cater to the needs of a growing population.
Many families now choose to avoid the traditional burial process and instead scatter ashes in a special location that reflects the life of their loved one. This is not uncommon as it enables a more personal funeral and allows for the return to nature of ashes. While this trend is a sign of the times, it does not mean that people no longer feel a need for a permanent memorial.
What Are the Differences Between Cemeteries and Graveyards?
Although both graveyard and cemetery involve locations where people are buried, the words have different meanings. The main difference is that graveyards are typically associated with churches and actually located within church grounds. Those buried in a graveyard were members of that specific church or had previously expressed a desire to be interred there upon death. Cemeteries, on the other hand, are often not affiliated with a church and are open to those of all faiths (or none).
While the two terms are now used interchangeably in most instances, they weren’t always so synonymous. The word cemetery is much older than graveyard and was originally used to describe a large burial ground that wasn’t connected to a church. Churches were able to build larger buildings to accommodate the increasing number of departed Christians and had less room for their own graveyards, which led to the creation of many of today’s modern cemeteries.