Burial placement to the East

[msnobody]

I went down a rabbit trail (from the O Come, O Come Emmanuel thread) exploring the term Dayspring in the lyrics of the song. That lead to the following.

Anyway, back when my mother passed away, the cemetery worker told me that my mother’s head would be toward the foot stone and feet toward the tombstone. I always assumed everyone’s heads were toward the tomb/headstone. I asked why and she told me that it was thought the Christ would return in the East and that the deceased were interred facing the East so that when the body is resurrected, it will rise to the East.

I’m thinking this must come from Matthew 24:27
For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

I had never heard of burying the deceased facing the East. Just wondering if anyone else had ever heard of this.

[honorentheos]

Yes, I was told this while growing up but never looked into it. As a side note, while quite young but getting interested in rock music, an aunt used the "looking to the west" reference in Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven as evidence of Satanism in rock. I was a teen when I figured out it was a Lord of the Rings reference. Ah, the joys of coming of age in the shadow of the Satanic Panic.

[msnobody]

Yes, I was told this while growing up but never looked into it. As a side note, while quite young but getting interested in rock music, an aunt used the "looking to the west" reference in Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven as evidence of Satanism in rock. I was a teen when I figured out it was a Lord of the Rings reference. Ah, the joys of coming of age in the shadow of the Satanic Panic.