Why Does a Headstone Face East? The Meaning Behind a Headstone's Position and Other Symbolism (2024)

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Why Does a Headstone Face East? The Meaning Behind a Headstone's Position and Other Symbolism? ›

However, the orientation of the headstone is an individual's choice. Some families prefer looking at the headstone while standing at the foot looking at the stone, while other families prefer looking at the headstone while standing at the foot of someone else's grave.

However, the orientation of the headstone is an individual's choice. Some families prefer looking at the headstone while standing at the foot looking at the stone, while other families prefer looking at the headstone while standing at the foot of someone else's grave.

One theory is that long ago husbands decided their wives belonged on their left side, the side closest to their heart. Other theories hold this placement is a reflection of a couple's wedding day. When walking down the aisle, the man is traditionally standing to the right of his bride.

The traditional Christian method of positioning the coffin or shroud covered body in the grave was to have the body with the head to the west, feet to the east. The body was placed face up. When it was not practical to use the west-east position for the grave, a north-south positioning was the next best option.

In most Western cemeteries, the body is typically buried on the side of the headstone facing east. This tradition is rooted in the belief that the deceased will face the rising sun in the east during the resurrection.

Biblical Inspiration. Speaking of Christians, the practice of east-facing tombstones can also be traced to the bible. The scripture (Matthew 24:27), which talks about the second coming of Christ, teaches that he will come from the east. This belief also affects how Christian churches are built.

A headstone is typically placed at the head of a grave–it can be inscribed with the name of the person who died, other important information, and even a special message from the family. At Monuments of Victoria, we recommend placing the stone at the head of the grace so that the person who has died can face East.

This is because when you worship the sun or nature, it makes sense to face the sun as it rises. Christians also usually bury their dead facing the east. It's believed that during the second coming of Christ, he'll come from the east. So the dead are faced so they will be ready to greet Christ.

It seems that in Christianity, the star comes from the east. Some of the ancient religions (based on the sun) would bury the dead facing east so that they could face the "new day" and the "rising sun." Once again, Christ is considered to be the "Light of the World," which explains the eastward facing burials.

Footstone grave markers identify the lower boundary of the gravesite, the way the headstone marks the upper border. This helps visitors avoid walking across the grave, which is deemed disrespectful or bad luck.

Why are we buried 6 feet deep? ›

An ancient practice of burying dead people six feet underground may have helped mask the odor of decay from predators. Similarly, random disturbances, such as plowing, would be unable to reach a person buried six feet underneath. Preventing the Spread of Disease was another major reason.

In 2 Kings 23:16-20, Josiah took the bones out of the tomb, burned them on the altar, and “defiled it.” However, nowhere in the Old Testament does the Bible command the deceased cannot be burned, nor are there any judgments attached to those that have been cremated.

But in most cemeteries, headstones face east, which puts husbands to the left of their wives. "To make matters even more confusing," Delp adds, "many cemeteries have stones facing both ways. And then there's Brunner-ville United Methodist, which buries the man on the right regardless of which way the stone faces."

Some initials found on gravestones:

FLT stands for Friendship, Love, Truth, three degrees associated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The Odd Fellows, first organized in the US in 1819, is a popular fraternal/benefit organization. The emblem of the Odd Fellows is usually shown as three links of a chain.

So, to sum up, historically, a “tombstone” was the stone placed on top of a stone coffin. A “gravestone” was a stone slab covering a grave. “Headstones” were generally markers denoting a grave. Today, though, all of these terms indicate a marker placed at the head of a grave.

Headstone - a flat, stab-like stone grave marker placed at the held end of a grave. Headstones may be used alone or in conjunction with footstones. sce footstone.

Although most cemeteries you visit will face east, some older cemeteries may not. When civilizations navigated directions using the position of the sun, it was much more challenging to determine true east—many didn't consider that the sun changed position every day. Thus, you'll notice some cemeteries don't face east.

You might have heard that you should face a headstone to the east. This influence came from early religions that worshipped the sun. Many Egyptian temples were built so that the dead faced east. Christians believed that if the deceased were buried to face east, they could rise again on the day of resurrection.

They were traditionally made from stone or wood and placed on the grave's foot. Headstones were typically only used to mark the graves of important people such as kings and other nobility.