Cemeteries

Why a cemetery post? I'd been thinking about it for a couple weeks but a couple things over the weekend helped make my mind to show how society deals with its deceased.

First, a story came out about an Australian company with plans to bury people upright. Then, after Dr. Egan's death on the slopes of Mount Everest, I heard that his family was going to Nepal to retrieve his body, which I don't think is the usual practice.

So with this in mind I though it was time for my little cemetery pictorial. Anyways... four views of how three cultures in two countries bury their dead.

1. Canada - My grandmother's grave is simple: headstone at her final resting place.


2. Malaysia - Parapets surround these Chinese graves to keep the dirt that cover the deceased, who are buried at normal depth. During prayers incense sticks are placed all around these parapets, which are about a foot high.


3. Malaysia - This is another Chinese cemetery in Sandakan. These are similar to the one above but with a cement and tile covering. They make for some very pretty graves.


4. Malaysia - My father says this was a road when he was a kid; he used to play in a stream about 10 metres to the right of where I am standing. But a Malay cemetery to the left filled up and afterwards Malays began burying their dead right in and across the road. Note the headstone at the end of the dirt path.