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Jeruba's avatar

Coffin carrying: head first or feet first?

Asked by Jeruba (55829points) September 15th, 2022

The crown on Queen Elizabeth’s draped coffin is positioned at the middle and gives nothing away.

Is she being transported head first or feet first? I’m sure there’s protocol for this.

Is there any established custom when it comes to ordinary folks like us? Which end goes first in transport? Which end goes first into the hearse, the chapel, the cremator? It doesn’t matter in any real sense; I’m just curious.

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8 Answers

zenvelo's avatar

Carried head first into the Church; carried feet first out the door to the hearse. That way they don’ have to turn the casket around. And then you come out of the hearse head first and they stick you in the ground feet first. The head goes by the head/grave stone.

chyna's avatar

I do know that in transporting a body on a plane, the head is to always go in heading towards the front of the plane out of respect. I have a friend who is a pilot.

kritiper's avatar

Feet first. If one of the bearers trips, you want the corpse to land on it’s feet, not on it’s head.

Forever_Free's avatar

They really don’t care.

LostInParadise's avatar

It seems more natural to be carried feet first. That way the person is being moved forwards, not that it matters much.

LostInParadise's avatar

Corpses are never carried face down, but if one were then it would seem more natural to move head first. I can’t account for the difference.

kruger_d's avatar

At first service in Scotland the crown was placed on one side.

WhyNow's avatar

@kritiper I know that was a serious answer but it was funny as hell!!!

Maybe I should tell my shrink about how strange I am.

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