The Geburtsvorbereitung (debuts' word for death) is a term used in Germany to refer to a custom of commemorating a deceased person by writing his or her name on a tombstone. The practice is part of an informal tradition that is not sanctioned in official German civilization.
The Geburtsvorbereitung started in the mid-19th century and continues today, although not officially endorsed by the German authorities. In actuality, the German government has a fairly dim view of this habit, although many public memorials still honor the memory of a deceased person.
This is usually done by hand to make certain that the gravestone is correctly placed; this is particularly true for larger stones. Some people believe that a body shouldn't be laid to rest Additional resources in a plain tomb, as it makes it appear as though the body is decaying.
Today, the cemetery managers in some towns have produced the custom of burying a individual in a small plot of land on the outskirts of town and burying grave markers beyond the city, a popular alternative. In Germany, however, most gravestones are put within the town of residence.
To begin the process of creating a Geburtsvorbereitung, a family member of the deceased will make a list of all the members of their deceased family who have been designated to take care of the grave marker. These individuals will then be assigned a specific job to do annually, for example to clean the grave marker or prepare a new one for the deceased. The family will also decide on the design and type of the tombstone.
Once the tombstone has been designed, it must be prepared and erected on the burial site where the deceased person was buried. In some cases, a relative may have no idea what the gravestone should look like; in this case, the surviving family member can make suggestions to the geburtsvorbereitung committee about what type of gravestone they would like to have created.
Once the gravestone was created, it must then be placed on the grave marker and sent to the cemetery where the deceased person was buried. After this, it'll be covered by the family.
In Germany, it is important to remember that the Geburtsvorbereitung isn't officially recognized by any governing body in Germany. Because of this, it's not included in any genealogy charts nor does it appear in the family tree. However, it's extremely common for the geburtsvorbereitung to be written on the gravestone.
The geburtsvorbereitung committee will decide whether the geburtsvorbereitung will be used to record the life and achievements of the deceased person. If so, it is going to state which kind of information will be recorded in the tombstone. It will specify the dates that the person lived, whether he/she was married, how long was he/she lived, and where the deceased lived.
The cemetery's rules and regulations will dictate the manner in which the information on the gravestone could be contained and how to protect the burial site. It may also dictate whether a photo can be contained. The cemetery may also have limitations on the size of the gravestone, such as not allowing a large one to be used. A funeral director or a family member might help a family come up with the right sizes to the gravestones.
Some families choose not to use the gravestone at all. They can also decide not to include a photo if they believe they don't want to be reminded of the loved one every time they look at the gravestone.
As memorial services continue to become more popular, gravestones may also feature photos. A picture can be connected to the gravestone so as to honor the memory of the deceased person. Many of the local newspapers provide free pictures of the gravestone and its attributes, and lots of funeral homes also provide images of the deceased. The photograph can be enlarged or changed depending on the needs of the family.