Is there some significance to cedar trees in cemeteries?
Yes. Many of the cedar trees found in North America were mistakenly classed cypresses, and cypress has been associated with grieving since the times of the ancient Greeks. There was a legend that the Greek Cyparissus accidentally killed a stag which had been his friend and companion, and prayed to Apollo that he might grieve forever, and was turned into the tree. Aside from that, because of the wood’s resistance to corruption and the strong, spicy smell when it is burned, both cypresses and cedars have been used to build coffins or funeral pyres for the great and powerful, not just in the cultures around the Mediterranean, but throughout Asia aas well. The trees were sometimes used to build the gates to temples, as their wood was said to guard the passage between life and death. It is likely that some of that tradition has come into the church, as many early Christian traditions were drawn from the countries around the Mediterranean.
