Cemetery Orientation

[Jugglering]

Does anyone know whether burial and cremation plots for Christian burials have to be at a certain orientation ? I know that Moslem burials are usually laid facing west, towards Mecca, but are there any rules or guidelines on Christian burials ? What about non-religious burials ?

[Ethel]

A cremation plot is an urn in a little square, so there is no way to make it lie one way or another.

Go to any church with a graveyard and you'll see the graves are all higgledy piggledy, facing any which way.

And in modern cemetries, they are often back to back so face different ways.

Ideally Christians would be buried facing east - towards the rising sun and the direction Christ will appear in the Second Coming.

But it is not practicable.

[mibn2cweus]

If I'm buried in accordance with my religious convictions it will be head first. If I'm headed anywhere after I'm dead it's that away.

[rojash]

Not many in the UK are buried in accordance with their convictions as we no longer have capital punishment...

[Ethel]

Oh, and Mecca is south-east from the UK, not to the west.

[dustypuss]

in switzerland they are berried stood up feet first to save on space . and in some countries corpses are dug up after several years and their bones stacked in catacombs . and the graves used again . ( the ultimate recycling )

[markysngc]

I'd take it in switzerland the graves are over 6ft deep, if not I sure don't want to buried there... I'm 6'6" so my head would stick out the ground :)

[Jugglering]

Thanks for all your helpful answers - I know a lot more now ..... see what sort of daft Questions circulate in my brain after 10 pm at night lol....

[dustypuss]

Markysngs

no the graves are still only 6ft deep .

if you dont fit they just just pat you down with the shovel

he he

[markysngc]

actually thinking about it i'd be dead, why would I care if either my head sticks out or they pat me down with the shovel

LOL

On a side note one of the weirdest things I've ever done in work was trying a new body bag on for size that the place I worked at the time had just started to market.... I didn't... but putting yourself in a body bag in the middle of an office just does not feel right somehow!!!

[Jugglering]

Marky lol !!!! Brilliant - you now need to pose the Q - "What's the weirdest thing you have ever done at work?" go on, I dare you

Climbing into a bodybag is definitely one weird one lol.....

[dustypuss]

it might not be weird but i us to make toilet seats

[markysngc]

ok I never turn down a dare:)

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/ChatterBank/Que stion549603.html

mark

[Jugglering]

Dusty - did I read that correctly .. you used to make toilet seats ???? lol... you definitely need to add that experience to the weirdo ones that Marky will be collecting in a bit...

[dot.hawkes]

Graves were originally only dug quite shallow, but it was realised that pigs could dig the bodies up quite easily, and so they tried digging deeper and deeper, eventually it was worked out that pigs could not get out of a six foot deep grave, and being smart pigs, they would not risk jumping in to get at the corpse, which was in a shroud in those times as opposed to a coffin.
Peasants were buried outside the church walls, gentry were buried inside the church, under the church in a crypt or actually under the floor. the nearer to the Altar you find a grave, the more affluent and influencial that person or their family was, as the Monarch was given the right to rule by God, those subjects enjoying the Monarchs grace were given a place in death close to the Altar to be nearer to God.

[Jugglering]

Thanks Dot... more useful info there !

[weggiewabbit]

I don�t know about burials, but a builder told me that he once had to rip out and re-align all the toilets in a block of flats in a Muslim area because otherwise the residents would have been sh!tting towards Mecca.