Visiting Cemeteries | Reasons Why You Should Visit

Are you the type of person who enjoy and loves visiting the cemeteries? 

If you are one among these kind of people then you have to know that you are not alone. 

Many individuals actually loves to visit these burial sites because they find the place interestingly beautiful, quite peaceful and calm. 

You might be surprised to know that some people even made visiting the cemeteries their hobbies.

Although, other people may find it weird and creepy where they simply couldn't stand visiting a cemetery. 

Some says that they may encounter and attract ghosts or spirits which might follow them back home. All these eerie feeling are probably due to watching too much horror movies.

Here are the following reasons why you should visit a cemetery:

1. Remembering Your Dead Love Ones

The main reason why you should visit a cemetery is actually to remember and pay your respect to your dead love ones. 

They can be your grandparents, relatives, friends or anyone who are close to you when they were still alive.

2. Learning About Your Family Tree

In most traditional burial culture, the grave or tomb of a certain individual is often situated next to the grave or tomb of their fellow family members. 

Thus, visiting the cemetery is the perfect place for your children to know more about their ancestors, older generations or their family history.

3. Remind Us About Our Mortality

When visiting a cemetery, those tombs or graves will remind us about our mortality which means that we won't live forever. 

There will soon be a time that our physical body will be buried on this place later when we die. This will teach us that we should treasure every moments of our lives it's because it's great to be alive.

4. Draw Us Closer to Spirituality

Speaking about mortality, you will draw closer to your spiritual belief. A spiritual belief about the existence of "life-after-death".

5. Quiet and Peaceful Place

If you want a quiet and peaceful place to pass your free-time, you may want to consider visiting a cemetery. 

Some says that the quietness and peacefulness of the place allows them to fall into a deep trance. 

This often makes them able to make connections into their passed love ones remembering all the happy times that they had shared together.

6. Beautiful Place to Visit

Some people visit cemeteries because it is a beautiful place. 

Due to its beauty, you will feel relax especially when you are to breath the fresh air. All thanks to the caretakers who are maintaining the cleanliness of the place.

7. Honoring Your Dead

Last but not the least is, "honoring your dead or simply the dead people buried on the cemetery". Most people bring them flowers and candles that they left behind. 

You may be surprised to know that some cultures even offer them some foods on their tombs.

Proper Cemetery Etiquette

When visiting any cemeteries, proper etiquette must be observed. Although, there is no one enforcing such rule but it is completely bad to be disrespectful on this kind of solemn place.

Here are the following proper cemetery etiquette that must be observe:

1. Respect Everyone

The most important etiquette when you are visiting a cemetery is all about "respect". Everyone must always be reminded that the cemetery is a place to mourn their passed love ones.

2. Maintain a Quiet Environment

Do not shout or talk loud enough when having a conversation to somebody such as on the phone. When you have children along with you, tell them not to play and run around. 

Causing such disturbances is disrespectful to the other mourners.

3. Throw Your Trash in the Proper Place

Cemeteries do have caretakers who are maintaining the cleanliness of the place. But, this shouldn't be the reason why you should just leave your trash at any place. 

There should always be a proper garbage can nearby where you can throw your trashes.

4. Be Careful of Moving Objects on the Tombs

When some families visited the cemetery ahead of you, there are chances that they will be leaving objects such as flowers, photos, coins and etc... 

If it happens that you got interested to check on one of them, it is important that you have to place them back the way that you originally took them.

5. Don't Damage the Grave Markers

It is just natural that when a grave stone particularly the marker get's old through time, the writings can be too hard to read. 

Due to this reason, the common and wrong practice of what most people do is to rub it. This could actually damage the stone. 

So the best method to find the gravestone of your dead is to seek help from the people who are in-charge of the cemetery.

6. Asking Permission to Visit a Cemetery

Cemeteries can actually be considered as "Public" or "Private". If you are visiting a public cemetery then you can visit the place at any time that you want. 

However, private cemeteries have strict rules when it comes to visiting hours that some even requires asking permission from the person in-charge.

Overall, most people find comfort when visiting cemeteries. It is probably because the place reminds us about our passed love ones with the belief that they are on the safe hands of our Creator. 

And later, when we also die, they will be there waiting for us to be reunited once again.

Difference Between Cemetery and Graveyard

Some individuals are so curios to ask about "what is the difference between cemetery and graveyard". 

In general sense, they actually just mean the same which is a "burial ground" or "resting place" for the dead. This is the reason why most people today use them interchangeably.

But to tell you exactly the difference between a cemetery from a graveyard, it is best explained by taking a look back into the history.

The word "graveyard" actually started in the Middle Ages particularly originated in the European countries. 

At this age, the majority of the countries were controlled by the church the reason why there were so many churches built in the past. 

And as a traditional burial practice, people often buried their dead on a land nearby the surroundings of the churches or churchyards. Hence, we can say that graveyards are burial sites situated near churches.

In the late 18th to 19th centuries, there was a sudden rise of disease outbreak which was probably due to the graveyards. 

Other than that, there was an increasing number of population where more spaces were needed for the people to settle down. 

As a result, both of the government and religious authorities had decided to relocate the burial sites far away from human habitations. At this point, graveyards were being replaced by cemeteries.

Today, most graveyards were now long abandoned. They got rid of the stones and bodies where the land is now being used by the community.

Graveyards are Creepy Burial Sites

Most horror movies portrays graveyards as creepy disorganized burial sites surrounded by dead or withering trees with no one assigned to maintain its cleanliness. 

It's like a garbage site for dead people with no one to care or remember about them. The tombstones are actually quite dirty, decayed and some of them even have large cracks.

When visiting a graveyard, most people also tends to get the creepy feeling that the dead will suddenly rise back to life in the form of zombies. 

Or, a creepy hand will suddenly grab your foot by surprise. Are you a fan of Michael Jackson? 

You should watch his MTV or music video entitled, "Thriller".

And as stated above, graveyards are situated near the churches which is also close to the community.

Cemetery is a Beautiful Burial Place of the Dead

The cemetery is the complete opposite of graveyard. It is a well maintained beautiful burial place for the dead. The grasses, trees and flowers are well cared by someone who is being paid to do this job.

All of the tombstones are well arranged or aligned in their proper rows and columns. And, the markings on the tombstones are artistically engraved for easy identification of the dead person buried on that spot.

A cemetery is also located at an area that is far from the community or human habitations.

Since the cemetery is such a wonderful place, many people often pay a visit to their dead. 

They bring flowers and they can spend long period of hours on the cemetery because most people find it a very relaxing place. 

This is the reason why people would now prefer to be buried in a cemetery over graveyard.

Overall, we can say that a graveyard is comparable to a wasteland while the cemetery is comparable to a paradise. 

This makes the main difference between the two is all about the "description" of the burial sites. But, they are just basically the same site where dead people are buried.

References:

Difference Between Similar Terms and Objects - Difference Between Cemetery and Graveyard
http://bit.ly/difference-between | [Last Accessed on September 5, 2015]

The Candid Cemetery - What's the Difference Between a Graveyard and a Cemetery
http://bit.ly/candid-cemetery | [Last Accessed on September 5, 2015]

Quora - What is the Difference Between a Cemetery and a Graveyard?
http://bit.ly/quora-9-6-15 | [Last Accessed on September 6, 2015]

Yahoo Answers
http://bit.ly/yahooanswers-9-6-15 | [Last Accessed on September 6, 2015]

Person Who Carries the Casket | Pallbearers

Funerals that involves caskets requires the right "person who carries the casket" in which people call them as "Pallbearers". It is their responsibility to help carry or escort the casket right into the burial site.

The most common question is that, "Why are they called pallbearers?".

Pallbearers actually came from two words which are "Pall" and "Bearers". The word pall actually refers to a decorative cloth that is draped over the coffin. 

If you have seen or attended any military or state funerals, you must have noticed the National Flag draped over the coffin which is referred as the pall. 

As for the word bearers, I think that's already self-explanatory. But just in case that you do not know, it is an act of "carrying" or "holding" something.

In the past, the original duty of pallbearers was simply to walk alongside those that carries the casket. 

Their main job was just actually to make sure that the pall will not fall-off (which often caused by winds) from the coffin. 

Since most funerals sees them as unnecessary, they got rid of them. However, the title of their role was passed down to those that carries the coffin which seem to fit much better on their purpose.

Who Can Become Pallbearers?

The pallbearers who are authorized to carry the casket actually depends on your culture. 

When it comes to most Western Cultures, the pallbearers are usually close friends, family members, relatives, associates of the deceased person or can be anyone else. 

They can also be either men or women as long as they are fit enough to hold the coffin.

In some other cultures particularly in Asian countries, the pallbearers are individuals that must not be related or does not have any connection to the deceased person. 

Thus, the family of the deceased will have to hire pallbearers and pay for their services.

Carrying the Casket

Traditional caskets actually consists of six handles. Three handles on each side. This allows six pallbearers to carry the casket. 

But today, there are some caskets with a total of eight handles. There are two additional handles on the front and back sides of the casket. 

As a result, a total of eight pallbearers can carry the coffin which is a less burden of weight for them.

It is actually very important that pallbearers must be strongly fit enough to carry the casket or they may end up dropping the coffin on the ground. 

If you have chosen a family member, relative or somebody who is close enough to the deceased then you have to make sure that he or she does not suffer any deep emotional distress.

If it happens that a certain member of the family wants to become one of the pallbearers but shows signs of incapability then you can ask them to become "Honorary Pallbearers". 

They are also considered pallbearers but simply walks along with the coffin-carriers at either the front, side or behind. The good part is that, there is no limitation to the number to honorary pallbearers.

What Happens If No One Wants to Become a Pallbearer?

An interesting question came into my mind thinking about what happens to your casket if there is no single person in the world who cares about you? 

Surely, none will carry your casket on your funeral.

On my search for the answer, if you have the money and already made a full advance payment to a certain Funeral Home service before you died then they will be the one who will take good care of everything which include paid pallbearers who will carry your casket into your final resting ground or gravesite. 

However, if you don't have the money then you will end up being cremated which doesn't requires casket and pallbearers.