Nashauna Drummond, Staff Reporter

This house grave at the St. Andrew Church in Gilnock, St. Elizabeth, depicts some of the most extravagant monuments that we now bestow on our dead. - Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographer

Death. Feared by all, but the one thing that's guaranteed in life. Well, that and taxes, of course. But while taxation causes many of us to go through life in poverty, death is often an opportunity to express our wildest fantasies and to go out in style, whether we lived lavishly or not.

For centuries, civilisations have taken care in the treatment of their dead. Those who believe in reincarnation ensure that the dead are prepared for the afterlife. For those who don't, great respect is shown in 'laying them to rest'.

Tombs

Tombs are monuments to our dead. These monuments vary in size and style. There are mausoleums which are large buildings housing one or more tombs. Sepulchres are monuments cut into rock or built of stone in which the dead is buried.

Some of the most famous tombs are the great Pyramids of Egypt and the Taj Mahal in India.

Pyramids

One of the seven wonders of the world, the Pyramids of Egypt which are some of the most extravagant tombs. - Contributed

The Egyptians believed in life after death and their kings (pharaohs) were buried in elaborate tombs, the pyramids. They believed that the pharaohs would also rule in the afterlife. Therefore, they were buried with great riches to maintain them in death. Their slaves were also killed and buried with them to continue serving them in the afterlife.

Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum in Agra, India. The Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned it as a mausoleum for his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Construction began in 1632 and was completed in 1648.

Jamaican tombs

Jamaican tombs have traditionally not been very extravagant structures.

There are standard concrete structures with head stones labelled with basic information on the deceased. When they were born, when they died, sometimes a list of loved ones they left behind, and perhaps a verse from the bible.

Headstones

Today, headstones are becoming more extravagant. Depending on what you want, prices range anywhere from $9,000 to $60,000. You can have the image of your loved ones framed in the headstone. Some go a bit further in having the headstone represent aspects of the life the person lived. There are headstones representing jobs or hobbies, such as a headstone in the shape of an airplane if the deceased was a pilot.

The Shoemaker

The shoes he worked with all his life is a lasting monument to the shoemaker. - photos by Nashauna Drummond

Sixty-five-year-old Maurice Heath of Lionel Town, Clarendon, died about six months ago. Ba-bye, as he was called in the community, was a very popular shoemaker. His tomb which now sits where his house once did, bears drawings of the tools of his trade; the anvil, a hammer along with a representation of a much younger Ba-bye. On top of the tomb are concrete representations of a foot, each of a man and a woman's shoe. This is the ultimate monument to Ba-bye and his life's work.

Symbols

Some tombs bear symbols that are believed will take them into the afterlife. These include angels, arches, etc., all of which have different meanings. In the Christian faith there are many markers that have specific significance.

These include:

Anchor: Steadfast hope

Arch: Reunited with partner in heaven

Birds: The soul

Cross, anchor and Bible: Trials, victory and reward

Dolphin: Salvation, bearer of souls to heaven

Dove: Purity, love and Holy Spirit

Heart: Devotion

Lamb: Innocence

Lily: Purity and resurrection

Mermaid: Dualism of Christ - half God, half man

Peacock: Eternal life

Rooster: Awakening, courage and vigilance

Shell: Birth and resurrection

Six pointed star: The God

Snake in a circle: Everlasting life in heaven

Broken sword: Life cut short

Crossed swords: Life lost in battle

Triangle: Truth, equality and the trinity

Grave Rubbing

This has become a somewhat popular, but strange hobby in the United States. As a child, did you ever place a coin under a sheet of paper and then rub your pencil over it, which brings up the impression of the coin? That's the same principle of grave rubbing. Paper is placed over the headstone and chalk, crayons or rubbing wax is used. You then have an imprint of the information on the headstones. Some of the most prized impressions are those of very old graves or tombs of famous persons.