What is the significance of the “unveiling cloth” over the monument?
In early times, it was the family who physically erected the monument to its loved ones. The monument might have been anything from a simple mound of stones with the name of the deceased engraved, to an elaborately carved, monumental edifice. In present day society, where professionals construct the monument and it is dedicated on a day convenient to family and friends, it became customary to “unveil” the monument in their presence, as if they were erecting it anew. The cloth itself has no religious significance, and can be discarded.
