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.
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck Are ‘Focused on Their Separate Lives’ This Summer After Her Trip
The couple currently “don’t have any summer plans together,” a source tells PEOPLE.
According to a source who spoke with PEOPLE, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are “focused on their separate lives” this summer due to marital discord.
According to a person close to Lopez, the pair “don’t have any summer plans together” at this time.
Lopez just got back to Los Angeles from her vacation in Europe. The actress “enjoyed her trip to Europe,” according to the insider, and “has more travel planned, but is back in L.A. for now.”
The Academy Award-winning director moved all of his belongings out of the couple’s Beverly Hills mansion before Lopez returned from her trip to Europe, a source previously told PEOPLE, more than a month after PEOPLE first revealed that Affleck, 51, and Lopez, 54, were living apart in Los Angeles as they dealt with marital discord.
Ben is still residing in the rented property in Brentwood. He has been there for the past two months, according to a different source. “He appears to be alright. He appears to be focused on his work and has been at his workplace every day. He is also interacting with his children.
After the Atlas actress returned from her trip, the couple got back together on June 26. They were seen going individually inside a West Hollywood building where they both have offices.
According to a source, Affleck and Lopez “remain friendly” and are concentrating on their careers and families despite the rumors regarding their romance. In a heartfelt Father’s Day homage, Lopez even posted a picture of Affleck, dubbed “our hero,” on her Instagram Story on June 16.
While Lopez shares her twins Emme and Max, 16, with her ex-husband Marc Anthony, Affleck is the father of three children with his ex-wife Jennifer Garner: Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12.
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