We all have different traditions when it comes to commemorating and paying tribute to our loved ones who have passed away.
In today’s world, honoring the customs of others while commemorating the lives of the departed ought to come as standard practice. Some may choose to follow traditions or practices that the rest of us are not familiar with, but it doesn’t make them any less legitimate.
The same is true with gravestones and the ornamentation certain families choose to place over their loved ones’ last resting places. Coins being placed on headstones is one custom that is widely practiced and that you have probably witnessed at some point. However, why is this even a thing? And from whence did it originate? Continue reading to learn more.
Coins are traditionally placed on gravestones in cemeteries around the United States and other countries. When I was a little child, I first observed it when I was at my grandfather’s tomb, and even then, I started to wonder what it was all about.
Luckily, finding the beginnings online doesn’t need much research. Although it was previously thought that the practice originated with Roman military troops, a number of sources have disproved that theory in recent years.
Still, there’s a military connection to leaving pennies on gravestones. The American Legion Website states on one of its pages that it can be linked to the Vietnam War.
“Leaving a coin was considered a more practical way to communicate that you had visited the soldier’s grave than contacting the soldier’s family, which could devolve into an uncomfortable argument over politics relating to the war, due to the political divide in the country over the war.”
There are other reasons why veterans leave pennies on gravestones in memory of their fallen friends; occasionally, they do so in order to purchase a beer for them. Each coin represents a different meaning, according to reports.
For instance, a nickel is left by someone who served in boot camp with the deceased, whereas a penny just indicates that someone was present.
On the other hand, a dime represents a combined period of military service. Next are quarters, which inform the family of the presence of whoever left the coin at the moment of the loved one’s passing.
Ever notice a penny left on a gravestone? Were you aware of its meaning? Tell us in the comments below.
Newborn Baby Cries All Day No Matter What Parents Do, after a While They Check His Crib
Walter returns home to find his wife, Abby, overwhelmed by their baby Logan’s relentless cries. But in the nursery, Walter discovers a dictaphone playing the cries and a ransom note demanding $200,000 for Logan’s return. Walter suspects a janitor he once argued with, but when they try to contact the police, they’re warned to stay away.
Desperate, Walter arranges the ransom, but the courier reveals he doesn’t know where Logan is. Returning home, Walter realizes Abby has taken Logan and vanished. He soon learns Abby orchestrated the kidnapping. With FBI help, Walter tricks Abby into returning Logan to the hospital, where she’s arrested. As she’s taken away, Abby reveals Logan isn’t biologically Walter’s. Despite the betrayal, Walter vows to adopt Logan and give him a loving home.
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