Funerals - What is Cremation?

By Michael Russell

Most adults today know that a person can be buried or they can be cremated once they have died. A burial is a fairly straightforward process and this is something that most children have knowledge of. But a cremation can be something that puzzles family members, incurring more questions than answers. This article serves to give answers to those questions.

Cremation is the process of using intense heat to reduce the body to bone fragments and ashes. It normally takes two to four hours for this process to be completed. The cremated remains weigh three to nine pounds, depending on the size of the body.





There appears to be a trend toward cremation, particularly on the West and East Coasts. People choose cremation because of the expense of traditional funerals, the diminishing space for cemeteries and the environmental concerns. In England and Japan the cremation rate is 90%, partly because cemetery space is at a premium price.

Caskets are not required for a cremation. But there is a requirement that the body be enclosed in a rigid container. Mortuaries must have an unfinished wooden box or similar cremation container available to their customers. Alternately, customers may furnish their own container.
The costs of a cremation range in price. If the family uses an undertaker to take care of all services, from transporting the body, obtaining permits and filing the death certificate, the fee can be in the thousands of dollars. On the other hand, many licensed funeral homes that care for their own dead can use crematories at charges from under $300.

There are a couple ways to have the funeral service. You may opt to have the visitation and funeral service with the body present, prior to cremation. Some mortuaries will rent a casket to the family. After the service, the body is transferred to an inexpensive cremation container. Many find it helpful to have a memorial service without the body present. This option is less costly and friends and family members appreciate this opportunity to pay tribute to the memory of the loved one.

People have many choices regarding what to do with the cremated remains. They can be placed in a niche in a columbarium, buried, scattered, or kept by the family. A columbarium is a set of niches that are designed to hold containers of cremated remains. These are usually located in the mausoleum with a cemetery. You can sometimes find niches within churches to hold the remains. The remains are sterile and do not pose a health hazard.

You do not have to purchase an urn for the cremated remains. The remains are returned to a metal, plastic, or cardboard container that is adequate for burial, shipping, or placing in a columbarium. But the family may prefer a more aesthetic urn.

Religions vary regarding cremation. The Roman Catholics give their members a choice between burial and cremation. The Greek and Jewish Orthodox faiths oppose cremation. If you are particularly religious, it would behove you to investigate how your religion views cremation.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Funerals