
Inscriptions on the headstones may also be checked to make sure they’re in line with the religious values of that church. These requirements might add to the eerie look that people often associate with graveyards. According to an article published in Cake, it isn’t uncommon for graveyards to require headstones to be neutral in color and made of only stone or granite.

Graveyards tend to be on the conservative side and generally frown upon elaborate markers and headstones. Religious guidelines aside, there are still a few key rules to burying someone in a cemetery compared to a graveyard. Graveyards have more strict rules for their appearance Cemeteries are much more lenient, however, and allow both religious and non-religious people to be buried there, as explained by Cake. In some cases, the requirements for burial in a graveyard include that a person has to have been a member of that particular religion, and sometimes they even need to be a member of that very church. With such limited space, graveyards sometimes are slightly more strict about who they allow to be buried there. Today, graveyards are typically connected to a specific worship space, so it’s no surprise that they come with religious affiliation. According to HuffPost, before population became an issue, the wealthy and prominent members of society were able to be buried inside churches, either under the floor or in a crypt, while the less affluent were buried outside in the churchyard, which also eventually got tight on space. Whether you’re in the market for a burial plot or not, it’s good to know that how you live your life can dictate where you’re able to be buried after death. Religious guidelines play a role regarding which you can be buried in These garden cemeteries not only provided more space, but they were also the beginning of burials without church involvement, as government agencies and private companies ran them. This led to the beginning of garden cemeteries, according to Locust Valley Cemetery. However, by the end of the 18th century, population growth caused the health risks of the overpacked churchyards to become impossible to overlook. But, on the other hand, a graveyard is a much smaller plot of land that’s almost always part of the grounds of a church, as reported in an article on Cake.Īt one point, the church was the only entity allowed to bury someone after death, and only in churchyards. When looking at a vast plot of land adorned with headstones and winding walking paths leading visitors to their loved ones, what you’re looking at is a cemetery. While there are many similarities between graveyards and cemeteries, such as the fact that the dead are buried there, there are a few notable differences as well.


While yes, the names are sometimes used interchangeably, and both are places where people are laid to rest after they die, the history that’s stacked behind the two burial sites is unique to each one. The word graveyard comes from the proto-Germanic word graban - to dig, as explained in an article on Cake, and cemetery comes from the Greek word koimeterion, meaning dormitory or sleeping place, via Locust Valley Cemetery. The titles themselves generally approximately the same end result. Graveyards and cemeteries are, in fact, two different things.

For some, these places bring feelings of peace, while others can’t help but get the creeps and a strong desire to steer clear. We visit them, pass by them on walks or drives, and talk about them from time to time, especially during the Halloween season. Such is the case for the words graveyard and cemetery. Sometimes words get used interchangeably without a second thought, but if we give those words a second thought, we might realize that something isn’t quite right.
