It’s amazing to watch youngsters perform in school talent shows, whether they’re acting, singing, dancing, or showcasing another talent. While it’s true that all contestants should be commended for taking the stage and giving it their all in front of their peers, every now and then you’ll see a performance that truly hits the mark, showcasing inventiveness that beyond the competitors’ age range.
This was the performance that four Texas fifth graders from New Braunfels Christian Academy put on for the Elementary Talent Show in 2017. The students covered themselves with a black cloth at the beginning of their performance in order to keep it secret all the way through. The fabric was torn away, revealing the boys’ baby clothes, replete with little prosthetic legs they could move about with their arms. The audience immediately exploded into laughter, and that was only the start.The audience was even more delighted with what came next: the boys donned their suits and danced brilliantly and imaginatively to a number of hit songs. The opening song, Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off,” had the males dancing and miming with enthusiasm. The crowd’s favorite was Carl Douglas’s “Kung Fu Fighting,” when the four dancers in suits displayed their kung fu skills to cheers and applause.
If you find a coin on a loved one’s gravestone, you had better know what it means
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.
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