question head or toes ??

[Mike Boyer]

when you bury a person does the head face East or do the feet face East?

I know most plots run East/West

 

[John Royark JR]

There is a lenghty discussion about this somewhere in another thread.

 

[John ED Renstrom]

tradition says the bottom of the foot are pointing east. this way when you rise you will be facing the maker, as scripture states he will come from the east. of course even if you believe you go in any way they put you.

 

[Bill Carlin]

tradition says the bottom of the foot are pointing east. this way when you rise you will be facing the maker, as scripture states he will come from the east. of course even if you believe you go in any way they put you.

In most cases, in traditional older cemeteries, we bury foot to the east becuase Christ will come in the rising sun and you will stand forth in your grave and see him. In some cemeteries, we bury foot to the alter of the church. In some, we bury foot down hill (even though the bottom of the grave is level, people didn't like their husbands buried standing on their head), Still others are north-south because you wouldn't be able to read the markers from the road if they were east-west! Some cemeteries go in different directions.......Muslims are actually buried on their sides facing "Meca". Like most things in the funeral business, my answer is...IT DEPENDS! The tricky part (and fun to tell interns) is to make sure you get the feet the correct direction when you bury an urn of cremated remains!

The old terms headstone and footstone really no longer apply either. We refer to them as flat and upright markers now.