Cemeteries are a special place where family members can visit loved ones who have passed away. They are a serene and beautiful space to reflect on loved ones and share memories of them with friends and family.
A cemetery is usually not affiliated with a specific church and can be visited by followers of any religion. It is also commonly located far from town or city centers to allow for more space.
A Place of Remembrance
A cemetery is a place to remember and honor the dead. It can be a beautiful and peaceful place to visit, where visitors can find solace. It can also be a place where friends and family come to grieve.
In the past, many people were buried in graveyards adjacent to their place of worship. This practice continued well into the Middle Ages. However, as populations grew and church graveyards filled up, independent sites were established as places to bury the dead. These independent sites are today known as cemeteries.
A cemetery can contain burials in a grave or tomb, entombments in a mausoleum sarcophagus, or inurnment of cremated remains. Usually, the cemetery maintains a burial register that contains (at minimum) the name and date of burial or interment. The register is a valuable resource for genealogy research. The cemetery may be public or private, religious or secular. Its ownership structure determines its services, endowment plan and staff configuration.
A Place of Peace
While it’s fine to use the words cemetery and graveyard interchangeably, there is a difference between them. A graveyard is generally a burial ground within the vicinity of a church, while a cemetery is not associated with a particular place of worship and can be much larger in size as there is no obligation to be located on church property.
Cemeteries can be public or private; religious or secular; for-profit or not-for-profit, etc. As a result, each has its own unique ownership structure and financial endowment plan.
In the past, a person’s family was responsible for digging and filling in a grave, erecting a headstone, and maintaining the grounds of their loved one’s grave site. However, as the need for cemetery space increased, many people found this to be an unsatisfactory arrangement, leading to the rise of modern, centralized cemetery management. These facilities offer a variety of services that are designed to provide a peaceful resting place for both the dead and their surviving families.
A Place to Gather Your Thoughts
Many people who visit cemeteries use the time to reflect on life and feelings. They may pray, ponder and speak aloud to their loved ones. Others choose to be silent or solitary. Whatever the case, cemetery etiquette is about showing respect to everyone in the space.
Many graveyards feature intricate headstones, monuments and sculptures that honor the lives of those who have passed on. While it’s fine to admire these from a distance, visitors should avoid touching or leaning on them. This is important because some of these memorials have historic significance and can become damaged with repeated handling.
Visitors should also remember to stay on designated pathways and refrain from littering. This helps to preserve the sanctity of the grounds and respects the hard work of cemetery workers. It’s also a good idea to take any trash with you when leaving so that it can be put in a trash receptacle. This way, the next person visiting the gravesite won’t find any mess left by someone else.
A Place to Exercise
Cemeteries are often considered sacred spaces for remembrance and reflection, but they can also be used for exercise. Many people have taken to running or cycling in their local cemetery because of the coronavirus pandemic. Some people say that exercising in a cemetery is very disrespectful.
But others disagree. A woman named Caroline Vumbunu takes power walks through her local cemetery every morning. She says that it helps her feel healthy & makes her live longer.
Vumbunu says that it is important to remember those who have passed away, but they shouldn’t be treated like they are dead. She believes that people should exercise in the cemetery as long as they stay on the paved roads and don’t talk to the graves.
Slinger, who studied mortuary science and spent a year living above a funeral home, agrees that it is fine to run in a cemetery as long as you respect the space. She adds that she would not jog past a funeral service but wouldn’t mind running through a cemetery after it is over.