Why gravestones face east

My dad pined n sobbed daily for mom n in seven months we lost him. Get our newsletter Advertise with us Buy the Catholic Directory. Spirituality Must one be buried facing east?

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One Response Sandy Rozario says:. May 30, at am. It's beyond a doubt that they would use the sunrise for establishing east. Little that they know that the position would change every single day of the year.

Should you be curious enough to check the early land records, you would notice that there are many inadvertences between the legal descriptions and the real surveys. The declination is the leading cause for the difference, with the magnetic north being different from the true north. Many years ago, the "meets and bounds" was the survey system, and it was no good at all. It goes without saying that nobody should rely on the old surveying methods when we have accurate modern surveying systems.

The trustedcaskets. One particular aspect refers to the position you're buried relates to one of the spouse. Next time you go to a cemetery, you could take a look at the burials.

Take a look to find out how many are facing east. See if the headstones of the husbands are on the left as you're standing in front of them. There are no strict regulations about the position of burial in the Catholic religion, and the direct burial is also taking place time to time.

And the rule is only available during the funeral Mass. If the church would be built so that the priest honoring Mass always faces the east, it makes perfect sense why the deceased would also face east throughout the funeral service. The majority of churches today would honor Mass with the priest facing his parishioners across the alter. Mass is provided with the priest and the parishioners facing east, which accentuates the sacrificial character of the Eucharist.

Traditional headstone procedures You might have heard that you should face a headstone to the east. Book an experienced memorials specialist here. How do you write a Death Notice? Headstones Angel Headstones. Memorial Photos Ceramic Photos. Monuments Italian Monuments. Simply click the tile below.

How can we help? Early graves were seldom in the neat rows that we are used to seeing. Burials were more haphazard, more medieval in their irregularity; families didn't own plots and burial spaces were often reused. The north side of the cemetery was considered less desirable and is often the last part of the burying ground to be used, or you may find the north side set aside for slaves, servants, suicides, "unknowns," etc.

In many burial grounds graves face all four points on the compass.