Faith, Folklore, and Friends

You can't go anywhere in historic Charleston without seeing church steeples.  They have so many church buildings, Charleston is sometimes called "the Holy City." A lot of souls have come and gone since Charleston was settled.  There are many graveyards and cemeteries to explore, and most are open all the time.  Unfortunately, time and acid rain has made many of the tombstones illegible. I was told the steeples were built to serve as navigation points for those returning from sea. While we were at Ft. Sumter, it was easy to pick out the steeples in Charleston's skyline. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food  until  you return  to  the ground, since from it you were  taken; for  dust  you are and  to   dust  you will return. ~Genesis 3:19

Looking around in any old cemetery, you will notice that all the graves are positioned so that the feet of the body is facing east. Fortunately, you can't see the body beneath the ground, but if you could, odds are it would be face up.   The tradition of burying bodies in this position comes from Christianity.  The star that appeared before the greatest event on  Earth was in the east.  Those that die with the hope of resurrection want to be looking eastward when Jesus splits the sky.   For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.   ~Matthew 24:27 Before the days of bulldozers and perfectly landscaped cemeteries, people sometimes encountered obstacles that made it impossible for graves to be in the typical east-west position. When this happened, the grave would be dug in a north-south position, and the body would be laid on its side, head to the north and facing east.   Rar...

If you ever wander in old cemeteries, and I know many of you do, you are bound to see some cedar trees. The tradition goes back to the early days of the United States and even earlier  in Europe.  Cedar trees were not always used, but some type of evergreen trees were planted because they were a symbol of everlasting life.  Some  Cherokees believed that cedars contained powerful spirits, including the spirits of the departed buried beneath them. Perhaps because they are known as burial trees, there are many superstitions that surround cedars.  My grandmother told us in no uncertain terms that if we planted a cedar tree, we would die when it was large enough to shade our graves. Some others are: Never transplant a cedar tree; it will bring bad luck. If you transplant a cedar and it dies, you will die shortly. Planting a cedar tree in your yard welcomes poverty. Some say Christ was crucified on a cedar tree, and wil...