"Did You Know?" 
Interesting Facts About Cemeteries..

Do you know the difference between a coffin, a casket and a sarcophagus? 
It's the shape! A coffin is wider at the shoulders, narrower at the head and feet. 
A coffin is rectangular and a sarcophagus is more molded into the shape of 
the human body and often had a portrait of the deceased painted on the lid.


Based on a standard grave size of 3' x 8', one acre of land will provide enough 
space for 1,815 graves. 

The typical iconography for Faith (cross), Hope (anchor), and Charity (mother 
and child) are among the most commonly used Victorian funerary symbols. 
Even groupings of three, such as three steps into a chapel or mausoleum, 
or tiers on a monument, may signify this most favored symbolism of heavenly 
apiration. The upward pointing obelisk (another popular monument style) will 
often have a three layer base. 


The custom of shutting the eyes of the deceased is believed to have begun 
this way, done in an attempt to close a 'window' from the living world to the 
spirit world. Covering the face of the deceased with a sheet comes from 
pagan beliefs that the spirit of the deceased escaped through the mouth. 


In some cultures, the home of the deceased was burned or destroyed to 
keep his spirit from returning; in others the doors were unlocked and windows 
were opened to ensure that the soul was able to escape. 
In 19th century Europe and America the dead were carried out of the house 
feet first, in order to prevent the spirit from looking back into the house and 
beckoning another member of the family to follow him. Mirrors were also 
covered, usually with black crepe, so the soul would not get trapped and not 
be able to pass to the other side. Family photographs were also sometimes 
turned face-down to prevent any of the close relatives and friends of the 
deceased from being possessed by the spirit of the dead. 

Some cultures took their fear of ghosts to an extreme. The Saxons of early 
England cut off the feet of their dead so the corpse would be unable to walk. 
Some aborigine tribes took the even more extreme step of cutting off the 
head of the dead, thinking this would leave the spirit too busy searching for 
his head to worry about the living. 


The use of tombstones may go back to the belief that ghosts could be 
weighed down. Mazes found at the entrance to many ancient tombs are 
thought to have been constructed to keep the deceased from returning to 
the world as a spirit, since it was believed that ghosts could only travel in 
a straight line. Some people even considered it necessary for the funeral 
procession to return from the graveside by a different path from the one 
taken in with the deceased, so that the departed's ghost wouldn't be able 
to follow them home. 


Some of the rituals which we now practice as a sign of respect to the 
deceased, may also be rooted in a fear of spirits. Beating on the grave, 
the firing of guns, funeral bells, and wailing chants were all used by some 
cultures to scare away other ghosts at the cemetery. 

In many cemeteries, the vast majority of graves are oriented in such a 
manner that the bodies lie with their heads to the West and their feet to 
the East. This very old custom appears to originate with the Pagan sun 
worshippers, but is primarily attributed to Christians who believe 
that the final summons to Judgment will come from the East.

Did you know...

In 1785, the city of Paris removed bones from cemeteries to ease the 
overflow of dead people. They took these bones and stacked them in 
tunnels now known as the Catacombs. You can visit these tunnel 
attractions and work your way along long corridors, which are stacked 
with skulls and bones. 

What is the difference between a cemetery & a graveyard?
Graveyards are in the "yards" of churches.

What's the difference between a cemetery and a graveyard?

Answer:  A  graveyard  is  always  adjacent  to  and  part  of  a  church.



Did you know...

In Czechoslovakia, there is a church that has a chandelier made out 
of human bones. 

The sound of bells drives away demons because they're afraid of the loud 
noise. 

When a bell rings, a new angel has received his wings. 

A bird in the house is a sign of a death. 

If a robin flies into a room through a window, death will shortly follow. 

If you get a chill up your back or goosebumps, it means that someone is 
walking over your grave.

Light candles on the night after November 1. One for each deceased relative 
should be placed in the window in the room where death occurred.


You must hold your breath while going past a cemetery or you will breathe 
in the spirit of someone who has recently died.

If a clock which has not been working suddenly chimes, there will be a death 
in the family. 

You will have bad luck if you do not stop the clock in the room where 
someone dies. 

If a woman is buried in black, she will return to haunt the family. 

If a dead person's eyes are left open, he'll find someone to take with him. 

Mirrors in a house with a corpse should be covered or the person who sees 
himself will die next. 

If you dream of death it's a sign of a birth, if you dream of birth, it's a sign of death. 

If you touch a loved one who has died, you won't have dreams about them 

A person who dies on Good Friday will go right to heaven. 

A person who dies at midnight on Christmas Eve will go straight to heaven because 
the gates of heaven are open at that time. 

All windows should be opened at the moment of death so that the soul can leave. 

The soul of a dying person can't escape the body and go to heaven if any locks are 
locked in the house. 


If the left eye twitches there will soon be a death in the family. 

If a dead person's eyes are left open, he'll find someone to take with him. 

Funerals on Friday portend another death in the family during the year. 

It's bad luck to count the cars in a funeral cortege. 

It's bad luck to meet a funeral procession head on. 

Thunder following a funeral means that the dead person's soul has reached heaven. 

Nothing new should be worn to a funeral, especially new shoes. 

Pointing at a funeral procession will cause you to die within the month 

Pregnant women should not attend funerals. 


If the person buried lived a good life, flowers will grow on the grave. If the person 
was evil, weeds will grow. 

MIRROR
If a mirror in the house falls and breaks by itself, someone in the house will die 
soon. 

MOTH
A white moth inside the house or trying to enter the house means death. 

PHOTOGRAPH
If 3 people are photographed together, the one in the middle will die first. 

THIRTEEN
If 13 people sit down at a table to eat, one of them will die before the year is over. 

UMBRELLA
Dropping an umbrella on the floor means that there will be a murder in the house. 





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