What Is Cremation?
Cremation Services
What Is Cremation?
There is nothing more difficult on Earth to deal with than the loss of a loved one. If you’re facing the death of someone you love, you may have questions about what goes into the planning of a funeral. You may also be wondering which method, burial or cremation, is the answer. Everyone knows what goes into burials, but most of us know nothing about cremation beyond the fact that it is the process by which remains are placed under extreme heat rather than buried in the ground. But what people often do not know is that just because cremation is chosen, does not mean you cannot also choose a traditional funeral. Traditionally, cremation has been chosen in very few final plans. Before the 1980s, less than 5% of all final plans included cremation rather than burial. Today, this number has increased to nearly 40%. There are a number of reasons why people may choose cremation over burial, whether in their own final plans or the final plans of those they love, and the reasons for the increase in cremations growing as well. One reason for such increase is cost. Another reason may be that more people are learning about what really goes into cremation, and they are finding out that it is still possible to hold a traditional funeral when cremation is chosen. Another reason is that some people do not live within a close distance of a cemetery, largely because families are moving further away from each other than in the past. Yet another reason is the all-too familiar phobia of the cremation process itself. However, like so many other things, learning about cremation may be the key to quelling such fears. Following is valuable information about cremation and funeral services that will help you make the right choice when planning memorial services for your loved one. For additional information about cremation you can also contact a funeral home near you that offers affordable funeral and cremation services.
Cremation Versus Traditional Burial
History of Cremation
Cremation dates back thousands of years. Evidence has been found that cremation dates back to circa 2,000 BC.
The Cremation Association of North America (CANA) defines cremation as 'the mechanical and/or thermal or other dissolution process that reduces human remains to bone fragments.' Cremation was widely used in final plans in both Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece. There is evidence that the practice of cremating remains greatly diminished during the Middle Ages except in cases of torture or out of fear of spreading contagious diseases, especially where the Black Plague was concerned. However, cremation has been used in such areas as India throughout the years, and as noted above, cremation is much more widely used and accepted in today's societies.
The cremation process is the process of reducing body to bone fragments via very high temperatures, which takes them down to calcified material. These remains are then processed into ash material, placed in an urn or other vessel chosen by family in order to memorialize loved ones and perhaps keep them nearby. Other relatives may choose to scatter their loved one's ashes over a favorite spot that is also meant to memorialize their dearly departed's life. A modern crematorium will store a body in a temperature-controlled area until it is time to approve it for the cremation process. In this interim, materials such as silicone implants, prostheses, and pacemakers must be removed in order for the cremation process to move forward. The body will then be placed in a flammable container such as cardboard or pine 'casket.' This container is then placed into a cremation chamber. The cremation process itself generally needs just under three hours in order to reduce the average adult-sized remains to ash. When these cremated remains cool, they are then further processed to pebble-like substance and placed in final vessel such as an urn and returned to the family, often to carry out their loved one's final wishes, such as being scattered over a favorite spot.
Handling Remains
Cremated human remains can be handled in a number of different ways. Some families choose to have cremated remains buried in a cemetery. This can be done either in a ground plot or interred in a columbarium, which is a memorial-type building that holds chambers where loved ones' ashes can be stored. Others who are left behind may choose to store their loved ones' ashes in an urn, which can be used to either scatter ashes over a favorite area (these typically are made of biodegradable materials in order that they may be tossed in the ocean or sea or buried in the ground nearby). Some choose to keep ashes stored in a decorative urn and kept nearby in order to remember their departed loved ones.
Planning A Cremation Funeral
In order for cremation to go as required, you will need to purchase certain products that will be used in the process. The products may be determined by which type of service you and your loved ones choose in order to go ahead with final resting place. Cremation products typically use a special casket and an urn. If you are also burying your cremated loved one in a cemetery, you may also need to purchase a burial vault, and you might want to have a grave marker and/or headstone. Oftentimes the choices of such products depend upon the requirements of both local law as well as the cemetery chosen, if any. (Sometimes, as noted above, families choose to scatter cremated ashes over a favorite spot, or they choose to hold the urn in a special place nearby. In such cases, a cemetery need not be chosen.)
Caskets
There are a number of caskets that can be used in cremation. There is such a thing called 'green caskets.' These are fully combustible containers that typically are made of natural materials. These natural materials may include cotton, wool, wicker, bamboo, teak, and a number of others. Recycled cardboard can also be used in the manufacture of acceptable cremation caskets. These are often of less cost and are often chosen for such reason. Another type of casket is used for Jewish funerals. These typically are made of wood and, naturally, must include all fully combustible materials. Some families choose containers that are provided by a crematorium, often when budget is of high priority. These containers typically will be something akin to a cardboard vessel. The costs of cremation caskets likely will depend on the type of casket and material chosen, as well as what type of service you have opted for in the final plans. One of the most preferred casket types chosen in today's cremation services is the rental casket. These are opted for when a viewing is chosen along with cremation. Understandably, a permanent casket is not needed in such a case, but a beautiful casket may still be preferred in order to allow family and friends to view a deceased loved one and say goodbye in as pleasant a manner as possible. Some other family members left behind may choose to purchase a casket.
Urns
An urn is a vessel used to hold cremated remains. Some family members may choose to either scatter their loved one's ashes or keep them nearby as a memorial. Urns are available in many varied styles, materials, and even costs. An urn can be purchased from a funeral home or a crematorium, or it can be purchased from online retailers or in person in a store. An urn can even be homemade by loved ones. There are a number of urn styles, the most common of which are companion urns, which are used to hold the remains of two deceased loved ones. These typically are used for husband and wife. Companion urns may include two separate interior chambers in order for ashes to be separate but still next to each other, as would be in a burial plot. Another of the most common types of urns is the scattering urn, which holds the remains of a loved one whose ashes will be scattered on a favorite land or sea spot. Oftentimes, scattering urns are biodegradable because they are tossed into a body of water or buried in the ground after scattering the ashes. One other very common urn is the keepsake urn. This is a small container that is used to contain just a portion rather than all of a loved one's ashes. Purchasing an urn can be as personal a choice as purchasing a casket, sometimes even more so because the cost of an urn does not have to be nearly as prohibitive as the cost of a casket. Additionally, it is important to know that the Federal Trade Commission has ruled, in its 'Funeral Rule,' that a crematorium or funeral home may not refuse or even charge a fee if a family choose to purchase an urn elsewhere, or even choose to use a homemade urn.
Religious Viewpoints
There was a time when cremation was frowned upon by most religions, but the perspectives towards cremation have changed and are changing more and more all the time, especially among modern societies. While some cultures and religions have a strict preference against cremation and may even forbid it, some religions actually mandate the use of cremation. Still other religions can be accommodating when it comes to the cremation process. The best thing to do if you are conflicted about your religion's specific perspective on cremation is to consult with those religious leaders you most respect.
Costs of Cremation
Cremation often is chosen over burial because of its ability to keep the cost of final plans low. The costs incurred during a cremation often depend upon the type of service being held. Additionally, if you are choosing to hold a traditional funeral, you will incur costs associated with the use of the funeral home for the viewing. And, if you choose to bury your loved one in a cemetery, you may need a headstone or grave marker. If you are planning a traditional funeral for your loved one, your cost will be higher than if you choose cremation that involves just a keepsake or a scattering urn, wherein your loved one will be kept in an urn nearby for memorial or scattered over land or sea. Other costs incurred in cremation will include the cremation process itself, which may depend upon the combustible vessel chosen. Another set of costs will include those involved in the use of the funeral staff as well as all equipment used during the cremation process. Still other costs may involve the fees incurred of the space used to store remains at a columbarium.
Dealing With Loss
The most difficult part of losing a loved one has nothing to do with whether you choose burial or cremation, but in the loss itself. However, planning a funeral can, in and of itself, be a therapeutic experience. It is necessary to take time to grieve the loss of your loved one, and it is even more important that you surround yourself with as many loved ones as possible who will support each other in this trying time. Funerals and memorial services that involve cremation can be just as therapeutic as those that include ground burial, simply because they involve gathering with family and friends in memoriam and even celebration of a loved one who has passed.
No funeral is easy to plan. Regardless of whether you choose burial or cremation as a final means of rest for your loved one, you will encounter difficulties in planning. Though most funerals include burial, the fact is that cremation is becoming a more accepted and prevalent choice in funerals. If you are facing this very difficulty time in life, you may wish to consider cremation as an alternative means of final rest for your loved one. If you are in need of further information about cremation and funeral services, you can contact the Better Business Bureau or cremation organizations such as the Cremation Association of North America