Editing Cemetery (section)

==Customs and practices==
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===Flowers===
[[File:The grave of Édith Piaf.jpg|thumb|Flowers left on the grave of [[Édith Piaf]]]]
In Western countries, and many others,{{quantify|date=May 2014}} visitors to graves commonly leave [[cut flowers]], especially during major holidays and on birthdays or relevant anniversaries. Cemeteries usually dispose of these flowers after a few weeks in order to keep the space maintained. Some companies offer perpetual flower services, to ensure a grave is always decorated with fresh flowers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cannonfalls.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=23820|title="City cemetery draws visitors for 150 years"|access-date=December 16, 2013|archive-date=December 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216182251/http://www.cannonfalls.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=23820|url-status=dead}}</ref> Flowers may often be planted on the grave as well, usually immediately in front of the gravestone. For this purpose [[roses]] are highly common.

In some regions flowers are put out at specific times called [[Decoration Day (Appalachia and Liberia)|Decoration Days]].

===Stones===
[[File:Buttenhausen-5815.jpg|thumb|Small stones on a gravestone in a Jewish cemetery in [[Germany]]]]
Visitors to loved ones interred in [[Jewish cemetery|Jewish cemeteries]] often leave a small stone on the top of the headstone. There are prayers said at the gravesite, and the stone is left on the visitor's departure. It is done as a show of respect; as a general rule, flowers are not placed at Jewish graves. Flowers are fleeting; the symbology inherent in the use of a stone is to show that the love, honor, memories, and soul of the loved one are eternal. This practice is seen in the closing scene of the film ''[[Schindler's List]]'', although in that case it is not on a Jewish grave.

===Crosses===
[[File:Poppies Mounted on Wooden Crosses for Remembrance Day 2003 MOD 45143469.jpg|thumb|Wooden crosses with remembrance poppies on them]]
[[War graves]] will commonly have small timber [[remembrance cross]]es left with a [[remembrance poppy|red poppy]] attached to its centre. These will often have messages written on the cross. More formal visits will often leave a poppy wreath. Jewish war graves are sometimes marked by a timber [[Star of David]].

===Candles===
[[File:All Saints Day in Łódź, 2014 lights 02.jpg|thumb|Grave candles in the Old Cemetery in [[Łódź]], Poland]]
Placing burning [[grave candle]]s on the cemetery to commemorate the dead is a very common tradition in [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] nations, for example, Poland. It is mostly practised on [[All Souls' Day]]. The traditional grave candles are called ''znicz'' in Polish.<ref name=tvp>{{cite web|url = http://bialystok.tvp.pl/8984919/zaduszkowe-tradycje|title = Zaduszkowe tradycje|website = TVP Białystok|date = November 2, 2012|language = pl|access-date = July 13, 2015|archive-date = March 4, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304001832/http://bialystok.tvp.pl/8984919/zaduszkowe-tradycje|url-status = live}}</ref> A similar practice of grave candles is also used in Eastern Orthodox Christian nations, as well as the [[Lutheran]] Christian [[Nordic countries]].

===Toys===
In the American South, graves of children are often decorated with emblems of childhood. These include favorite toys, balloons, seasonal decorations, religious figurines, and more.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jeane |first1=D. Gregory |editor1-last=Hinson |editor1-first=Glenn |editor2-last=Ferris |editor2-first=William |title=The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture: Volume 14: Folklife |date=2009 |publisher=UNC Press |page=61 |chapter=Cemeteries}}</ref>