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Around the world, most funerals are followed by cremation of the deceased. In some land-challenged countries like Japan and England nearly all bodies are cremated. In the United States, however, cremation is still relatively rare - about 1 in 7 Americans are cremated. What goes on in the cremation process?
A funeral home will provide an itemized list of services and procedures involved in a cremation, including prices. Different funeral homes will have a range of prices depending on the services they offer. In general, a cremation as final disposition will be about the same price as a burial. National averages for a cremation run between $1000 and $1500.
Standard services that a funeral home should provide in a cremation include transportation of the body and the dispensation of all paperwork such as death certificates, notification of government agencies and the securing of any necessary permits. The funeral home should also describe how the cremation is performed.
Although it is not usually done, the bereaved can attend the cremation. Cremation is accomplished by exposing the body to intense heat in a specially designed incinerator called a crematory. The body is reduced to bone fragments which are pulverized into ashes. The cremation process takes two to three hours to complete.
The ashes typically weigh about 5 or 6 pounds and take up a space of from 150 to 200 cubic inches. If the cremation takes place in isolation the ashes will be placed in a temporary container until a permanent one has been designated. While most state laws do not dictate a casket for cremation, a cremation container is required. These range from expensive urns to simple cardboard boxes specifically designed to hold ashes. The ashes may be shipped by mail to a final recipient not attending the cremation.
Disposing of the ashes is a personal choice. Many containers of ash are buried in a cemetery or laid to rest in a mausoleum. If ashes are maintained in a residence special arrangements must be made for when the holder passes away. Often times the ashes will be scattered in a special place.
Many companies specialize in getting those ashes to a special place. Scattering ashes at sea has long been a favorite final dispensation. Businesses on both coasts will transport the ashes out into the ocean and perform final services on the boat - with or without family and friends. Some even provide state-of-the-art technology to mark the exact location in the open water for future visitations. It is even possible to have ashes scattered into a living coral reef.
Other scattering services will scatter the ashes from the air over national monuments or holy shrines. Some will take the ashes into forestlands or scattering gardens to renew the circle of life and one will even launch the ashes into space to orbit around the earth, fly to the moon or travel infinitely across the universe. For others who donÕt find an urn full of ashes on the mantle intimate enough, the ashes can even be crafted into jewelry.
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