How people treat their deceased family members has shifted over the years. In the past, cemeteries were treated as the de facto option for laying them to rest and visiting them in the coming years. Now, the cremation rate is over 20 percent higher than the rate of burials.
Cremations involve breaking down the human body into tiny bone fragments that resemble ashes. You can do what you want with what’s left, such as burying or storing them inside an urn.
Here are some of the most common reasons why a family may choose cremation services for a loved one instead of burying them in a cemetery plot.
Burying a person is much more expensive than cremation services. Aside from the funeral services, you have to pay for a plot, a gravestone, and to prepare the body. In the end, you may end up spending over $7,000.
Cremation services can cost less than half of what you pay for a burial. You don’t have to worry about where the remains will be laid to rest, and cremation urns are much cheaper than a casket.
If you’re working on a small budget, it’s much easier than trying to plan funeral services. As a bonus, the money you saved can go towards more important things. This may include reorganizing your budget or making big financial decisions after the loss of your loved one.
Another of the many reasons to cremate is that they’re easy to plan.
Consider for a moment what actually goes into burying a person. Some of your buying options include caskets, burial vaults, grave markers, memorial items, and the cost of embalming the body. A cremated body doesn’t require most of those things.
Cremation plans usually involve the cost of cremation and whatever urn you’re placing them in. Past that, you can also pay for a place to store the urn or if you want to buy a burial plot for the remains.
You don’t need to invite people to a burial service at a cemetery. Urns can be purchased online. Some people even bring their own containers to store the remains.
Aside from the casket and gravemarker, families only have so many options when it comes to burials. They can pick a place for the dearly departed, such as a burial plot or a mausoleum.
One of the common reasons to choose cremation is because of what you can do with the remains. Some people can get really creative with how they store or present their loved ones. You don’t need to stick them inside an urn that sits on a shelf.
For example, you can store the remains inside of a pendant to keep them close to you at all times. Others have found ways to integrate the remains inside of decorative art glass pieces.
There are some religions that are heavily opposed to cremation, such as Judaism or Catholicism. Some churches believed that cremation would impede resurrection. However, there have been changes in recent decades regarding how strictly people adhere to their religious texts.
Additionally, there are practices and teachings like Buddhism that freely allowed cremation. In fact, many Buddhists choose cremation because the Buddha was cremated.
Hinduism is one of the few religions that mandate cremation as a last rite. It’s believed that the body is presented as an offering to the Hindu god of fire to purify the deceased.
One of the problems with burials is that you have a limited amount of time to arrange them. A body can only be kept for up to six weeks at a funeral home. During that time, you may struggle to arrange a memorial service or find the money to afford it.
In contrast, cremation services are quick and allow for more flexibility.
Direct cremation can happen a few days after a person has died. You can take home the remains in any suitable container, whether it’s an urn or Tupperware. This is helpful if your desired urn hasn’t been delivered yet or if you’re still looking for one.
Cemeteries nowadays are facing a big space issue. People want to book spaces in cemeteries that are running full, resulting in long wait times. More people are dying but the graveyards aren’t getting any bigger.
It’s gotten to the point where some places rent out plots before the grave can be recycled and reused. As such, people may find it difficult to book a single plot let alone find one with enough space for their family to rest beside each other.
Cremation services don’t require space to place the remains, even though you can bury them if you choose to. Store, scatter, or do whatever else you want with them.
When a person buries a family member in a cemetery plot, they’re going to stay there in perpetuity. It serves as a place to visit to remember and speak to them, but the location can never change. If you move across the world, it makes it very difficult to stay connected with a loved one buried in another country.
The benefit of cremation is that the remains aren’t stuck in a single place. You can keep your father or mother in a decorative urn that goes where you go. There’s also the option of portioning out the remains to different loved ones who all want to stay close to them.
Though you’ve cremated a loved one’s remains, you can still bury them alongside the rest of your family. But why cremate over a traditional casket burial?
The main reason you’d do so is that it’s a lot easier. Consider the fact that burying a body requires embalming, a casket, a dedicated gravesite, and pallbearers to carry it out.
There are multiple options if you want to bury cremated remains.
You can bury them in a plot alongside other family members. Some cemeteries have urn gardens for burying urns. There are also small columbarium niches to allow urn storage.
Many people’s final wishes are to donate their bodies to medical science. However, they don’t always use up your entire body such as your skin and bones.
When they get everything they need out of it, the body is cremated and the remains are given back to the family. It’s not an either-or situation.
Your family can expect the cremated remains within four to six weeks after donation. They’ll also receive detailed information on how your body was used and how it helped in their research.
Most people are unaware of the environmental impact of funerals. This is partly due to the maintenance of gravesites as well as the use of embalming fluids.
Not only do cemetery owners need to maintain gravesites and the lawn, but burial occupies scarce land that could be used for more beneficial purposes.
In addition, embalming fluid is highly toxic and considered a carcinogen. The chemicals that get buried underground eventually make their way into the soil and waterways.
While it takes a lot of energy to cremate a body, those processes are improving every day. In addition, cremated remains don’t take up valuable land or require wood for coffins.
As previously mentioned, one of the benefits of cremation is that they aren’t stuck in one place. You can keep them on the family mantle, store them in your attic, or pass them around between family members.
One option that’s become more popular in recent years is companion urns. A companion urn is a larger urn that can hold the remains of two people. It allows loved ones to stay together even after death.
A companion urn is a good alternative to burial plots, as you’re guaranteed a spot beside one another.
In general, the public perception of cemeteries and burials has changed over the years.
Part of this shift in attitude has to do with less religious tendencies. Cemeteries run by churches served as a place to be close to God and your loved ones.
There’s also a change in the cost of family plots. It’s currently much more difficult to arrange for multiple plots in the same area without paying tens of thousands of dollars.
Finally, fewer people are staying in their hometowns where they could easily visit a burial plot. Even though your family may have lived in a city for generations, it’s not uncommon now for the younger generations to branch out to other areas and countries.
It can be overwhelming to deal with the loss of a loved one. On top of that, you need to figure out what to do with the body left behind. Cremation services are quick, affordable, and allow you to carry their remains wherever you go.
Lone Star Cremation can help get you started on your cremation arrangements. We believe in making the process simple, convenient, and low-cost. Contact us to book an appointment and begin your cremation plans.
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One Response
After reading your article, I can definitely see how opting for cremation makes things a lot easier. Having everything easier to manage could help reduce involved with losing a loved one, as we can focus on getting the family together and having them sort their feelings out. If ever we need a memorial service soon, I’ll look for a cremation provider as soon as possible.