Why buried standing up

No explanation as to why. His ghost is said to haunt the area round about and curiously the legend of the ghost appears on the gravestone or historical marker : something this blogger has not previously come across. George Hancock, American federalist and lieutenant of George Washington is said in some sources to have been buried standing up.

Irish legend claims that the last pagan king of Connacht Eoghan Bel was buried upright facing towards his traditional enemies in Ulster, a spear in his hand. There are some other echoes of this practice in Irish myth though nothing Beach has found from archaeology.

Bizarrely an Irish Quaker Samuel Grubb insisted on this practice for himself in His grave can be visited at Bay Lough. Those warrior Quakers…. I probably have come across others, but this is the only one that comes to my mind at the moment. This struggle with being unable to stand on his own led to his unusual burial request. After living so many years lying down, he wanted to make sure he was buried standing up. He also requested that his boots were left on. While being buried standing up is not the norm as of now, times are changing.

As more cemeteries face limited real estate, people are finding unique alternatives to address these new challenges. From famous cowboys to British poets, people have made a mark with their unique burial choices. Knowing your wishes alleviates this burden for family members when the time comes. Icons sourced from FlatIcon. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish, and check out our cookie policy for more information.

Create space for your community to share memories and tributes with a free online memorial from Cake. Categories: Burial. In a tumulus called Croghan Erin in the County Meath was opened, and a skeleton was found under it standing up. About the year , a skeleton was found standing erect in a carn near Belmullet, County Mayo.

The pagan Irish believed that while the body of their king remained in this position, it exercised a malign influence on their enemies, who were thereby always defeated in battle—a superstition that also prevailed among the ancient Britons.

Modes of Burial. In America, many Jewish communities limit the delay to three days at most. Although it is undesirable to postpone a funeral, burials should never take place on the Sabbath or on Jewish holidays. Traditionally, Jews are buried only in a Jewish cemetery, and ideally among family.

Where that is not possible, Jews should be buried apart from the graves of non-Jews. The range of Jewish customs on this point is very broad now, and in some Jewish communities, especially in North America, there are no prohibitions to disinterment, especially to gather family members into common ground. A Jewish funeral is a symbolic farewell to the dead, often simple and brief.

Rather than intended to comfort the mourners considered impossible so soon after the death, and before burial , the service is directed to honoring the dead. Before the funeral begins, the close family rend their garments or a symbolic ribbon; see more on mourning customs below. A eulogy or hesped may be recited at the home of the dead or at the cemetery in some communities, at a synagogue , and psalms and a memorial prayer El malei rachamim are often recited or sung.

The body is escorted to the grave site by mourners before or after spoken ceremony; accompanying the dead is considered a high sign of respect. In many traditional funerals, the casket will be carried from the hearse to the grave in seven stages, with a symbolic pause after each stage. Although traditions vary significantly regarding the arrangement of graves in the cemetery, one common custom in east-central Europe is to dig the grave so that the body will lie on an east-west axis, with the head at the west end and the feet at the east; this is symbolically if not actually facing Jerusalem.

The proper depth of graves is likewise driven more by local custom than prescription. In some places, the density of graves in the confined space of the cemetery necessitated burying recent dead above those already interred; from this the custom developed that later burials should be spaced six hand breadths above the earlier ones. In the presence of the entourage, the casket is lowered into the grave and the grave is filled; at least the first shovels of earth are placed by mourners, until the casket is covered.

A burial kaddish may be recited. In some regions, mourners may place a stone on the covered grave and ask forgiveness of the dead for any injustice they may have committed against the deceased. Upon leaving the cemetery or before returning to their homes, the entourage washes their hands, symbolic of the ancient custom of purification performed after contact with the dead.

The end of the funeral signifies a transition of mourning for the immediate family; condolences are now expressed by the attending rabbi and others in the entourage. See below for more information about mourning practices before and after the funeral. The experience of pain at the death of a loved one is universal. Jewish tradition considers excessive mourning undesirable, and outlines a number of rituals on a specified schedule, to aid close family and friends of the dead to pass through their grief.

At the time of death, a period of intense mourning aninut begins and lasts until the funeral. It is assumed the close family is too upset to interact with others; along with taking up the tasks of preparing the body and arranging the funeral, others will avoid expressing consoling words and making any significant show of their own grief.

Visitors to the house will stay silent unless the mourners address them directly. Keriah at the funeral of a Rabbi in Jerusalem. Source: Vos Iz Neias. At the cemetery or at a funeral chapel, and before the start of the funeral service, it is customary for close relatives of the dead to stand and rend i.

The act satisfies the emotional need of the moment, as an outlet for anguish, and for this reason is usually limited to only the close family. Tearing garments can also expose the heart, in a symbolic act which represents actual tearing of the heart, and that the mourner can no longer give love to the beloved.

In some communities, the ribbons worn at the funeral represent the garments and are torn instead. The rules of keriah are coded, for who, when, where, and how, so that proper respect and relief can be achieved. The traditional mourning periods are well defined and calendared.