# Jewish ?- unveiling grave marker

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jewish-unveiling-grave-marker/400926>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 20, 2007, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jewish-unveiling-grave-marker/400926 "2007-04-20T13:06:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Great\_Dave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/46a35a/32.png) [@Great\_Dave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Dave)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2007, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jewish-unveiling-grave-marker/400926/1 "2007-04-20T13:06:37Z")

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Was watching the season 1 finale of _Weeds_ on DVD last night. The basic set-up of the show is that a young widow has to turn to selling dope to make ends meet. Her husband was Jewish, and the 10th and final episode starts with the unveiling at the cemetary. I’ve heard of sitting shiva (sp?)- is this like the ending ceremony?

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**Author:** ![Mrs.Millamant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@Mrs.Millamant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Millamant)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2007, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jewish-unveiling-grave-marker/400926/2 "2007-04-20T13:35:40Z")

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Shiva is just one stage in the cycle of mourning; the unveiling of the gravestone generally marks the end of the year of mourning.

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**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2007, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jewish-unveiling-grave-marker/400926/3 "2007-04-20T13:40:12Z")

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You sit shiva immediately following the funeral. The unveiling happens about a year later (more or less).

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**Author:** ![Great\_Dave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/46a35a/32.png) [@Great\_Dave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Dave)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2007, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jewish-unveiling-grave-marker/400926/4 "2007-04-20T13:46:42Z")

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I suspected it was an anniversary thing. Thanks!

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**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2007, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jewish-unveiling-grave-marker/400926/5 "2007-04-20T13:59:57Z")

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The Ashkenazi practice is to erect a grave marker on the first anniversary of the death or burial, I forget which. (Naturally, this takes place on the anniversary according to the Jewish lunisolar calendar.)

I belive the Sephardic custom is to erect a marker after the first week or the first month. Are there any Sephardim on the board who want to fill me in?