Cremation Vessels for Scattering
When you choose a vessel for scattering, you want to look foremost for a vessel that is easily portable. A secondary consideration is a design that matches the ambiance of the scattering site. For example, a simply designed wooden urn with a natural finish may be perfectly suited to a scattering ceremony that occurs in a forest setting. Another consideration is what you would like to do with the vessel after the scattering. If you would like to display it or use it in your home as a remembrance, you’ll want to consider how its design matches its surroundings. If you choose not to keep the urn, you can find biodegradable urns perfect for at-sea and natural area scatterings.

Cremation Vessels for Display
You can choose from an amazing array of urns, finding one that serves as unique accent piece as well as being a remembrance of your loved one. Wooden urns are popular choices, especially since the versatility of wood allows it to be shaped into anything from a simple box to an ornate vase and to be stained to meet any aesthetic, while keeping the price relatively low. However, you can buy urns in nearly any material—from metal to glass to marble. You can also find urns in special shapes, such as lamb-shaped urns to hold the ashes of infants and young children, or double urns to hold the ashes of couples.

Keepsake Cremation Vessels
Keepsake urns are designed to hold only a small portion of ashes so that more people can keep them as a remembrance, or so that a small amount of ashes can be retained while the rest are scattered. Keepsake urns may look just like miniature versions of larger urns, or they may be in cast in shapes like hearts. If you want to give family members matching keepsake urns, you can often buy a set.

Cremation Jewelry
If having your loved ones ashes with you gives you a stronger bond with the deceased, you may want to consider cremation jewelry rather than traditional cremation vessels. Cremation jewelry comes in a wide range of designs, though most are tiny vessels that serve as repositories for a small amount of ashes. You can find crosses, hearts, birds, flowers and other representational designs, as well as simple cylinders appropriate for both men and women. With cremation jewelry, everyone in the family can keep ashes as a memorial.

As with traditional funerals, additional services or items will add to your cost, and preplanning can save a lot of money. Generally, the temporary containers are plastic and designed only to transport cremated remains, not for permanent internment. Permanent urns are available from many sources in many styles, and are available in a variety of materials like wood, bronze, or marble. Permanent urns, memorial services, and whether to keep remains at home, purchase a plot or a columbaria niche in a cemetery, scatter the ashes yourself, or use a service to scatter your loved one’s ashes are all items to consider along with the simple cost of cremation. Preplanning when possible allows cost comparison and clear decision-making as well as the opportunity to discuss wishes for memorial services and permanent internment. Even without preplanning, a cremation is usually less expensive than a comparable casket funeral.

In many cases families can have a traditional casket funeral followed by a cremation rather than a direct cremation. Direct cremation is your lowest cost option, but since embalmed bodies can be cremated it is a fairly simple matter to have an open-casket service. A full service followed by cremation and internment should generally end up somewhere in the range of $6000-7500, which is comparable to the lowest cost casket burial plans.

In cases of infant death or stillbirth, direct cremation is not the only option but is often both more affordable and allows parents time to process their grief. If the mother had complications or a sibling is in the NICU requiring further care, immediate direct cremation then keeping the ashes at home for a while can allow parents some time to plan a memorial. Because nobody expects to have to bury their child, funeral homes also sometimes charge only the actual or wholesale cost of urns and cremation services. In cases of infant loss, some parents also find the ability to keep their child’s remains close for some time comforting, rather than having to visit a cemetery.

Although the cost of cremation is lower than that of a traditional embalming and casket burial, some people have been made nervous about the process. Many cremation providers will also allow families to accompany their loved one’s remains to the crematorium and observe the process, although they may not advertise this fact. There is also a US group, the Funeral Consumers Alliance, which does provide some objective third-party information about cremation, including not only cost but also legal regulations which govern cremation from state to state.

“Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust…”

Many, many years ago, cremation had been thought to be so unnatural and extreme that cremation societies and other advocacy groups were formed to “lobby” for its greater practice. Health benefits were cited as reasons to cremate as well as ecological ones. What about the thought of leaving more land for the living and taking less for the dead? Even 100 years ago, only 1% of deaths in the United States involved cremation.

Today the cremation is preferred by almost 50% of living Americans. There are at least 2,000 crematories within the United States and Canada and they will approach a number of 1 million cremations. The subject of “what happens to the human body is one that many people don’t want to talk about and yet there are many who wonder…

I must warn you that some portions of this writing will not be pleasant…

About fifteen years ago I was on a “trip of a lifetime,” with a group of friends, to the Bavaria Alps and the trip included parts of Austria, Germany and Italy and I just knew that when I got to Salzburg Julie Andrews would appear and sing to me… Well, I did not see her and even more sobering was the day trip I took into southern Germany. I visited what was once the Nazi German concentration camp located on the grounds of an abandoned munitions factory near the medieval town of Dachau, about ten miles northwest of Munich in southern Germany.

The Dachau concentration camp was the first regular concentration camp established by the National Socialist (Nazi) government. It opened in March, 1933. Between that date and the end of April, 1945, over 200,000 prisoners were housed in Dachau. Thousands of those died and something had to be done with the bodies.s One of the friends on that trip was a cremation expert of current cremation processes who looked at Dachau with a different view than my military history view point. As we looked at the “ovens” or crematories there he explained how the facial skin and hair is the first to go as the body is pushed into the chamber. You can see it melt away. Stop!

There is no comparison between the crematories of the Nazi regime and those of the modern-day funeral homes. But the crematory at Dachau was my first experience with the “death and dying” process.

The modern-day process begins with the pre-need for the individual indicating that cremation is desired. Even then signatures are needed and the process is delayed for up to 24 hours or more in most states because cremation is irreversible… Next, the funeral director or crematory operator must remove any items not wished to be cremated with the body such as jewelry. It is also important at that time to remove any pacemaker, internal defibrillator or other battery powered medical device. Some of those batteries explode during cremation, if left in place. Even though most bodies are cremated in a cremation container which is basically a large but sturdy cardboard box, cremation may be done in a cremation casket usually made of wood. Either type container must be able to burn easily.

Each body is cremated separately from start to finish so as to ensure that there will be no mix up in the correct ashes for the correct named person.

The cremation container is placed into the cremation chamber from the end by pushing it in. The door is closed. The cremation chamber is lined with fire resistant bricks on the ceiling and walls and the floor is made from a special masonry compound designed to withstand very high temperatures. The burners within the cremation unit are usually fueled by either natural gas or propane. Temperatures will often reach the 1800°F - 2000°F range.

Depending on the size/weight of the deceased and the equipment design, it will take 1 to 3 hours for the body to be completely reduced to bone fragments once cremation begins. After the cremation process is complete, a cool down period is necessary before the bone fragments can be further processed. Once the cremated remains can be extracted from the cremator they are viewed to ensure that there is no metal debris such as surgical screws, pins and/or titanium joint implants remaining. If so they are removed. The remaining bone fragments are then placed in a special processor which is somewhat similar to a larger than usual food processor or disposal unit one would find under the kitchen sink. The processor then pulverizes the bone fragments to a fine powder called cremains (cremated remains) or simply ashes.

The remains are then placed in a plastic bag and temporary cremation container or an urn provided by the family. The ashes are then returned to the family or taken to the site where the final committal will take place.

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.

As every Jew knows, cremation is a no-no. That having been said, lots and lots of Jews are requesting that they be cremated. Why all of a sudden? What happened to the post-Holocaust cringe when thinking about yet another burned Jewish body? As a Conservative Rabbi, I will not officiate at the funeral of a congregant which is followed with cremation. I will, however, officiate at such a funeral for a non-congregant. It’s tough out there in the vineyards of the Lord, and difficult to be either consistent or resistant to the growing wishes of the hordes when they insist on cremation. Most Reform Rabbis will officiate without condition at funerals followed by cremation.

I firmly believe that the cemetery is the place where Jewish bodies should be buried, and not so much for halachic reasons, but for grief recovery reasons. You see, when someone dies, we are left with all sorts of emotions–grief, sadness, incompleteness, shock, disjointedness, numbness, blame and even anger. And it hurts so much. We need to complete our relationship with those who have died, so that our relationship with them can “rest in peace.” So often the cemetery serves as the healing venue. When we can go spend private time next to Momma’s grave and apologize to her for whatever we might have done to hurt her, and forgive her for whatever she might have done to hurt us, the cemetery becomes a holy place for us. What do we do if there is no burial in a cemetery, or if the ashes are scattered to the winds? In that case, healing is much more difficult, since there is no physical place to assist us in our efforts. For this reason, halacha supports emotional truth, as it usually does. We need to “lay them gently down,” and we can do that best in the cemetery by their grave.

Cremation is when a non living body is reduced to ashes by burning in a crematory fire or crematorium furnace. The remains of the fire are often placed in urns where they are then buried, held at memorial sites, kept by loved ones, or sometimes hold wishes by the person that has passed on. A common wish is to be spread out over the Oceans or something similar. Being cremated is a very common act with other popular methods such as casket funerals.

Ancient evidence has placed cremation back to at least 26,000 years ago. It is likely common that the practice took place prior to this point in time but evidence would have likely been destroyed or lost. Throughout history different cultures have both embraced and prohibited the use of cremation.

Different religions and cultures often depict what one is able to request done with their remains. Depending on how strict someone follows their religion will set forth if the remains must be buried, kept, or spread at will. A common example of this is Roman Catholicism requires a follower to bury or entomb the remains which generally would require an urn to properly follow. Other religions and cultures have far more complex rules to follow so this should be an important step in your research based on your faith.

Economically speaking, cremation can also be far less expensive to be preformed that a traditional casket burial. Although it is commonly not the important topic at a funeral, the cost burden on those paying for it can be unaffordable at times. If a body is cremated without a coffin and the not buried it can save thousands of dollars if it was done otherwise. Urns to place the remains in can even be found right here on the internet at a great discount from prices held within funeral homes.

There is also many other reasons people choose cremation over a traditional burial. The ability to become incinerated and become one with the earth is commonly more appealing than decomposing slowly within a small casket. Environmentally speaking cremation is also better for the earth in many ways. The embalming fluids, caskets, and other means used in traditional burials contaminate the ground water and the ground itself. Pollution aside, common burials require a large amount of space which is becoming more scarce and expensive in largely populated areas. These are all things to consider when choosing a proper funeral.

Even if you’ve been to dozens of funerals before, military funerals of young servicemen killed in action are some of the most difficult. Not only are you mourning the loss of life, but you’re also reflecting upon the notion that they sacrificed their lives for your freedom, and at such a young age. They gave up their family, their friends, their comfortable existence for a cause greater than themselves. That can bring a tear to anyone’s eye.

When attending military funerals, there is no doubt this is something special, as at least two members of the uniformed armed forces, Reserve, or National Guard will be present during the wake, memorial and funeral services. Their silent presence is a reminder of the camaraderie in the army - and that this soldier was willing to sacrifice not just for us, but for his or her platoon. If killed in action or remembered particularly well, an officer sometimes attends the funeral and gives a speech to the grieving about the soldier’s service, dedication and sacrifice.

At the gravesite, a gun salute is given to high ranking officers and officials or a 3-volley salute is fired. This tradition stems from the act of stopping fighting to remove the dead from the battlefield. To resume fighting, the armies would fire three volleys to indicate that the dead have been taken care of and the fighting may resume.

With the Navy, a cannon may be fired. This custom symbolizes how during combat, when a cannon fires, it partially disarms the ship, and so the cannon is fired at certain military funerals to represent trust and respect.

Sometimes music is present, like bagpipes, upon request. Other times, “Taps” is played via bugle or recording during the final salute. In 1862, bugler Oliver Wilcox Norton relayed playing his rendition of this emotional tune, “The music was beautiful on that still summer night and was heard far beyond the limits of our Brigade.

The next day I was visited by several buglers from neighboring Brigades, asking for copies of the music which I gladly furnished. The call was gradually taken up through the Army of the Potomac.” This part of the military funeral ceremony always strikes a chord with attendees.

The US Department of Veteran Affairs provides burial allowances or even free burial at one of 125 Veteran Cemeteries for military funerals. A family is eligible to receive a Government headstone or marker, flag, a Presidential memorial certificate and possibly a burial allowance for free.

The burial allowance is paid if you paid for the funeral of a veteran, who was not dishonorably discharged and one of the following occurred: the veteran died in action, the veteran was receiving VA pension or compensation at the time, or the veteran died in a VA hospital.

In the case of a service-related death, the VA pays up to $2,000 in expenses. In a non-service death, the VA will pay $300 for funeral arrangements and $300 for burial arrangements.

Cremation services have had a long, tumultuous history but are a popular option today. The first cremation ceremony dates back approximately 26,000 years to Mungo Lake. Early Persians and Phoenicians cremated the deceased and in Ancient Greece and Rome, incineration was seen as a military honor.

However, the increasingly religious overtones made the practice punishable by death in the middle ages. In the 20th century, religious leaders started to change their minds, so long as religious services and affirmation of dogmatic principles was made. Obviously, the entire world cannot be a cemetery, so with the increasing population and space limitations, cremation is the most efficient manner of respectfully disposing of a body.

Eastern Orthodox religions especially look down upon cremation services and will sometimes deny religious service for the deceased if they willfully choose it. Catholics have just recently warmed up to the idea, as long as a funeral or burial is still undertaken. Protestants are more tolerant and sometimes even scatter ashes in a “garden of remembrance.” Additionally, Lutherans, Methodists, Quakers, Scientologists and Universalists all allow cremations.

In Hinduism and Buddhism, cremation services (or “antim-samskara” meaning “last rites”) are mandatory. It is believed that cremation detaches the fresh spirit from its earthly body and assists the passage to the next world. After a brief prayer service, the nearest male relative submerses the ashes in the holy Ganges River.

In Japan and Taiwan, 99% of the dead are cremated and the cremation ceremony is slightly different. Instead of pulverizing the bones to ash, the bone fragment remains are given to the family members and the relatives use chopsticks to pick up the fragments (starting with the feet and ending with the head) and transfer them to an urn.

The remains are sometimes buried in a company cemetery or family burial plot for $2 million yen. For $400,000 yen, the bones are placed in a “Graveyard Apartment,” which is a locker-sized unit. In this technologically savvy way to commemorate the departed, mourners are greeted by touch-screens with videos, messages, a family tree and other information.

Whether Japanese, Buddhist, Catholic or Protestant, cremation services are widely recognized as a respectful way to say goodbye to the departed. You may want to schedule a viewing or a memorial service at a funeral parlor before the incineration takes place, to offer loved ones a chance to properly mourn the dead. You may then choose to bury the ashes, spread them in the sea, shoot them into space or place them in an urn on the mantel.

When choosing the manner in which to honor a loved one that has passed away the choice can sometimes be a difficult one. Usually the decision will be between whether or not to bury the loved one or have them cremated. In some cases cremation may be the best choice for you family to help you prepare you loved ones physical remains for departure and help keep them close to your heart.

Cremation consists of having the body of the deceased placed in a crematorium, which has a furnace and retorts for the ashes. The body that is place in the crematorium is then exposed to extreme heat at temperatures ranging from 1800 - 2000 degrees. This process takes approximately two hours for the body to be reduced to what many believe to be ashes. What the body is actually reduced to are dried bone fragments which are referred to as cremated remain, or cremains. The dried bone fragments that are reduced are then further reduced through a mechanical process so that they are suitable to put in a container. The final cremains look pasty white in color and feel like coarse sand to the touch. The weight for cremated remains is usually between four to nine pounds.

The choice to use cremation as opposed to a traditional burial service has become a very popular choice. The process is thought to be a dignified way to honor and cherish a loved one, is more affordable, helps the environment by saving land because you are choosing not to have a burial, the process gives the family the choice as to what they would like to do with the remains and gives them more time to make this decision.

When having the body of a deceased loved one cremated the family is still able to have an honorary service. A viewing prior to cremation is available, as well as a memorial service for the person once they have been cremated. Some people may even elect to view the cremation of their loved one, if the funeral home or crematoria will allow this.

Once the body has been cremated the family must choose the type of container that they would like their loved one to be placed in. In most cases a temporary or permanent urn will be used for the “ashes” of the deceased. Those that decide to use a permanent urn can choose from a variety of different types such as bronze, metal, wooden, marble, ceramic, brass, glass, specialty urns of all sorts, and many others. Those that do choose the route of a permanent urn will most often keep the urn in their homes, in a special place where the memory of the cherished person can be kept alive.

Those who choose to use a temporary urn are usually going to scatter the “ashes” of their loved one somewhere that is special and dear to their heart. Some choose to scatter them over the ocean or a body of water that has special meaning to their family, put the remains in a cremation plot or columbarium niche, burying the cremated remains in a cemetery lot or cremation garden, or scattering the “ashes” in any number of places that could have been important to the deceased or their family.

When choosing how to honor your loved one cremation can be a noble selection. The most important part when paying respect is to keep the person near and dear to your heart and to do what is best and most comfortable for you and your family.