CREMATION OPTIONS

So many people want to know how and when cremation first started as part of the death and burial process. While cremation has been around for centuries, it has never before received such wide spread attention as it has today due to its many advantages. In order to help you understand more about the origins of cremation, here is a brief history of cremation.

Burning a corpse as a final rite of passage has been in practice since prehistoric times and there is evidence that the Chinese started using this as a form of body disposal as early as 600 BC as well as the Greek, Swedish and Viking communities. In the early Renaissance period, cremations all but disappeared from Europe when Catholicism was introduced,  until it re-emerged in the fifth century during many of the worst epidemics ever seen.

In Asia, due to a mostly Buddhist culture, cremation continued to be the preferred method of post-death body treatment. Cremation was most often combined with ceremonies honoring the dead, with formal burials often performed afterwards.

Modern cremation emerged in the late 1800’s with the invention of the modern cremation chamber by Professor Brunetti, who revealed it at the 1873 Vienna Exposition. Championed by Queen Victoria’s surgeon, Sir Henry Thompson, and driven by public concern for hygiene and health desires to reform burial practices, crematoriums slowly began opening in Europe and in other civilized regions. The first crematory service  in America was established in the state of Pennsylvania in 1876.

Cremation is currently performed in over 31 countries around the world, with many of them mandated by religions such as Hinduism. In India, open-air cremations are performed in the holy city of Varanasi immediately upon death to release the spirit of the deceased. Bodies are burned atop funeral pyres on the banks of the Ganges River and are witnessed by families as they say their final goodbyes.

The importance and sacrament of the body, as well as the fact that groups that opposed the church also happened to advocate cremation, led to the Roman Catholic Church’s long-time opposition to cremation, although it wasn’t technically against church dogma. In the late 1960s, canon law was relaxed and the Catholic church declared that cremation was allowed without penalty to followers who chose this method. Today, the Requiem Mass can be held with a body that would be cremated or, upon permission of the local bishop, with the cremated remains.

While some religions, such as Judaism and Muslim, still do not allow for the destruction of the human body following death, most other religions now recognize cremation as a perfectly acceptable form of body disposition following death. Today, the numbers of consumers who choose cremation have risen dramatically as the process has become common and much less expensive than traditional embalments and burials. In America in 2009, as many as 40% of all consumers decided to use cremation services instead of regular burial. This makes it possible for anyone to have the type of memorial service they desire without the additional costs.

Want to learn more? Contact Cremation Options and talk to one of our experienced cremation service representatives today. 1-877-989-9090

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A burial at sea is a unique funeral option, but one that has been practiced for numerous years by many civilizations.

Burial at sea has been a long standing tradition for military servicemen.  Active duty, retired, honorably discharged veterans and their family members are allowed military sea burials.  Dating back to World War II, service members were often laid to rest upon the ocean floor because it was not practical to return to land when a death occurred.  In non-wartime, the choice becomes that of the service member and their surviving family members as to the type of funeral service that they want.

In non-wartime periods, the practice of burying a dearly departed is still popular for a variety of reasons.  People who have chosen to be buried at sea often have a special appreciation or love of the sea.  Some have spent their life working on the sea and decide that this would be the best place to be put to rest.  When a military burial at sea is chosen, family members are not allowed at the ceremony which is part religious and part military.

Sea burials have been on the increase for non-military people.   Some people choose to have their cremains released at sea for environmental reasons and land conservation.  The dissemination of cremains at sea continues the traditions set forth from many years past.

In current society, most people who are buried at sea have chosen cremation rather than a whole body burial.  There are a few choices to be made when considering the release of the cremains at sea.  You can choose an attended release or a non-attended release of the cremains.  An attended release is a private ceremony with clergy, family members and friends in attendance.  Prior to the ceremony, the cremains can be placed in a biodegradable scattering urn or cremation bowl.  These special containers will float for a short time and then descend into the sea.  You may also choose to use a decorative urn instead that can be kept as a keepsake after the services.  In unattended releases, family members are not permitted on the boat or ship and often times several cremains are released together.

In all sea burials, real flowers are allowed to be placed in the water at the time of the service.  Sea burials can be administered by any captain of a licensed boat as long as the burial is at least 3 miles from the shore.  Interestingly enough, in Great South Bay New York, it is legal to drop cremains from land off of the dock.  With most burials at sea, a special certificate is given to family members marking the date as well as the longitude and latitude of burial of the cremains.

Having cremains released into the open arms of the sea continues to bring peace to many families.  Many have reported that they feel that every part of the ocean represents the spirit of their dearly departed.

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The Catholic Church’s practice of burial goes back to early Christian days.  Catholics believe that the body should be viewed as a temple of the Holy Spirit once it is baptized.  They believe that the body was marked with the seal of the Trinity and must be respected and honored until it has been put to rest after death.  In the early days of Christianity, cremation was viewed as pagan practice and expressly forbidden by the Catholic Church.  In recent years, the Catholic Church has changed its views on cremation.

In 1963, the Holy Office, while still preferring burial over cremation, lifted the cremation ban in certain circumstances.  When a cremation was chosen instead of a burial, all rituals or prayers were only allowed prior to any cremation occurred.  Cremation was required to be completed after the prayers and service.  In 1969, the rules were slightly changed allowing for Funeral Rites to be given at a crematory or grave site, but burial was still strongly encouraged over cremation.  It was still a requirement that the body remain whole until after the funeral Mass had occurred.

The Code of Cannon Law was changed in 1983 to reflect more changes within the Catholic religion.  The Church still strongly recommended burial over cremation, but did not forbid cremation “unless it has been chosen for reasons which are contrary to Christian teaching.” (Canon 1176)

In years prior, people lived and died in the same communities.  Today, people are more transient.  They may live in one general area and retire to another.  As a result, cremation services have been on the rise across the nation.  Some families find that it is easier to engage cremation, than try to ship their dearly departed across the county.  Dioceses have had a difficult time ministering to families in the parish when they are separated by distance, and have supported the idea of cremation services for their parish when needed.

Since 1997, the Holy See reversed its previous view and granted permission for funeral Masses to be held in the presence of cremains.  Even though the Catholic Church still prefers burial over cremation, the current changes within the Church have brought continued comfort to Catholic families throughout America.  The choice to cremate continues to increase throughout America for both personal and financial reasons.   The Church’s decision to now allow cremation recognizes the fact that sometimes it best meets the needs of the family.  It should be noted that the Church still believes that people should be allowed to grieve in the presence of a body for several days prior to engaging cremation services.

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Cremation as a chosen means of honoring the dead dates back more than 20,000 years to the early Stone Age. It is the process of reducing human remains to their most basic elements through fire, heat and vaporization. Cremation is the literal interpretation of the proverbial “ashes to ashes, dust to dust” traditionally intoned at funeral services that is adapted from the Biblical passage in Genesis (3:19, King James version):

“In the sweat of they face shalt thou eat bread, til thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

In western Russia, paleontologists have found decorative pottery urns used to hold cremains dating to as early as 3000 B.C. The practice of cremation appears to have originated in Europe and the Near East, spreading across northern Europe during the late Stone Age. Embraced by the Slavic peoples, cremation may have been a practical way of disposing of the dead in those cold, frozen climes. The Vikings laid their honored chieftains to rest on a floating funeral pyre, first stocking the boat with things the chief might need, and casting it out to sea.

Early Greeks practiced both burial and cremation, as did the Romans who used cremation to honor fallen military heroes. With the advent of Christianity, cremation fell out of general favor but persisted in regional cultures. In Europe, during the Middle Ages, cremation was outlawed as a heathen rite; however, authorities continued to use cremation to control the spread of infectious diseases.

Cremation regained favor with Europeans during the Victorian era when Professor Brunetti displayed a cremation chamber at the Vienna Exposition in 1873. In 1874, the Cremation Society of England was formed and the first crematoriums were built shortly thereafter in England and Germany. The first modern cremation in North America took place in 1876 in Washington, Pennsylvania.

Today, in the United States there are more than 1,500 crematories and approximately one-quarter of Americans choose cremation. Due to the high temperatures to which they are exposed, cremated remains, called cremains, do not pose a health risk and may be immured or buried in memorial sites or cemeteries, scattered or incorporated into the natural environment or retained by family. For complete information about the process of cremation, please see the FAQ page on the Cremation Options website.

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