While October holds claim to the most cemetery-centric month in the U.S., many cultures around the world hold festivals and feasts in their burial grounds. Take a world tour of graveyard celebrations with me!
Ain’t No Party like a Graveyard Party
Headstones or Headaches?
Does everyone need a gravestone? For thousands of years, a grave marker has represented status and respect for the deceased. But with the rise of cremation, body donation, and natural burial options more consumers are choosing to forgo the stone and look for alternative memorials.
Tech and Tombs
Some cemetery supervisors are stepping up their graveyard game by pairing technology with taphology. Some upgrades link cemetery visitors and residents while other graveside gadgets are DOA. Click here to learn more!
Cemetery Security
Cemeteries are appealing targets for vandals, thieves, and general hooligans who want to conduct their mischief away from prying eyes. Dead men tell no tales, and so the dearly departed are often victims of crimes from grave robbing to vandalism. This is not a new problem. Medical students in 1770 formed the “Spunker Club” to... Continue Reading →
They Aim to Misbehave: Cemetery Visitors Cause Chaos
Most of the time, when people visit a cemetery they comport themselves with dignity and respect. Even if they are not there to pay their respects at a loved one’s resting place, many people come to cemeteries to admire the art, jog, or enjoy the scenery. Unfortunately, cemeteries can also be targets for vandalism and... Continue Reading →
Six Feet Deep in Trouble
Sometimes, cemetery owners can dig themselves a hole they can‘t get out of. This isn’t an article about excessively deep graves, but the legal trouble that some cemeteries have created for themselves through greed, neglect, and disrespect for the dearly departed. Dangerous Graves While visiting a loved one’s grave can bring closure and healing, for... Continue Reading →
Gravebook
The Facebook walls of the dearly departed often function as digital gravesites where friends and family can share photos, speak to the deceased, and mourn. Who, if anyone, has access to your online tombstone and the data it contains? Opening access to the dead’s accounts has the potential for thoughtful curation, but that comes with... Continue Reading →
The Oldest Cemetery in the World
When thinking of prehistoric technological innovations, inventions like stone tools and permanent houses usually come to mind. But the cemetery is an invention, a place specifically used for the ritual burial of the dead. Ancient hunter-gatherers buried their dead beside their houses and left them behind when they moved. Since they were semi-nomadic, they did... Continue Reading →
Culture Spotlight: Muslim Cemeteries
Death is one of the few universal problems that all cultures must confront. The way a culture solves the problem of death is deeply rooted in their values about the meaning of life and their beliefs in what will happen after death. When a death occurs in an Islamic community, funeral rituals affirm the dignity and... Continue Reading →
Burying Bad
Funeral and burial rituals are often an expression of love by the community. But if the deceased was an outsider or rule breaker, these rituals may be inappropriate. Still, something must be done with the bodies of social outcasts. To solve this dilemma, cultures throughout history and today use subverted or alternative burial rituals to make... Continue Reading →
Playing Marbles for Keeps 