What is Cremation? The History, Process & Benefits

What is cremation? What does it bring you? Cremation offers families flexible memorialization options and may be more cost-effective than burial. Deciding between cremation or burial usually depends on religious, cultural and family preferences.

Archaeological evidence of pottery urns found during archaeological digs indicates cremation first began sometime during the Bronze Age (2500 to 1000 B.C). Nowadays, cremation provides an option that meets many people’s values regarding environmental sustainability.

What is Cremation?

So, let’s discuss straightaway what is cremation. It is the process of turning human bodies into ash through exposure to high temperatures within a furnace, in an effort to provide an honourable end for life.

Cremation produces brittle ashes that can be handled and stored just like any traditional body remains. Cremation begins when family or next of kin grant permission for cremation, and then a body is transported from its place of death to a crematory facility called a crematorium for further processing.

Sometimes the family requests embalming; other times cremators do not. Jewellery, pacemakers and prosthetic devices such as those fitted for prostheses will be removed before final preparations for cremation commence.

What Happens To The Body?

When finding out what is cremation, it’s good to know what happens to the body. A body is placed into an appropriate container and placed into the cremation chamber, where temperatures up to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit are sustained for one to three hours, causing soft tissues such as muscle to decompose into gases.

While remaining bone fragments are ground into a fine powder which eventually becomes the ashes you receive after cremation. Any metal pieces found are either returned to the family or recycled as appropriate.

The History of Cremation

What is cremation history? Cremation practices probably began during the early Stone Age (3000 B.C). By the Bronze and Iron Ages, cremation had spread to Europe, Northern Asia, and Japan as well as decorative pottery urns being produced for cremations.

By the end of the Middle Ages, however, cremation had mostly fallen out of favour due to Christianity and its belief in the resurrection of bodies leading to burial practices becoming preferable, leading to its eventual abandonment altogether. Cremation gained momentum across many countries during the 19th Century. In Britain, efforts by an organization called the Cremation Society led to an Act of Parliament being passed in 1902 that would regulate cremation and enable crematoria to be established.

Where Are The Remains Kept?

Once the cremation process has concluded, remains will be stored in a strong plastic bag or temporary container until family members select an urn (cremation container). Identification will then be verified against paperwork and stainless disc before being sealed before being stored in a cooler until family members can collect them.

Ashes are then returned to the family for interment or scattering at either their original gravesite, memorial garden or location of choice.

Some families choose to keep the ashes at home while others may prefer scattering them at a special spot or returning them to their spouse’s gravesite.

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The Cremation Process

Let’s find out what is cremation process. Cremation involves subjecting the body to extremely high temperatures until its form can be easily managed, typically within a specially designed furnace known as a cremation chamber or retort.

Before placing anybody within this retort, proper identification must take place first; identification checks will occur at every step of the cremation process to ensure the right person is cremated.

Retorts are heated until all inorganic materials have burned away as gases, leaving behind bone fragments for processing or pulverization. Remains are then placed into either a temporary container, an urn selected by the family, or labelled and stored until later for retrieval by family members.

Cremation has a long and distinguished history; however, its widespread adoption in Western culture only began after 1874, when a reliable cremation chamber was first constructed.

Following that year, religious reformers who desired reform of burial practices as well as medical professionals’ health concerns surrounding cemeteries led to cremation’s expansion across several religions – with Hinduism particularly encouraging it; especially among Shiva cult members who see cremated remains rising to heaven through cremation as part of eternal life and immortality.

The Benefits of Cremation

Here, let’s know what is cremation benefits. These are given following.

Cremation can often be a more cost-effective and personalized memorial service option than burial services since ashes can be scattered or interred at a location meaningful to you and your family.
Cremation is also environmentally friendly; when compared to burial, cremation generates much fewer environmental contaminants like mercury and lead.
Furthermore, unlike embalming and mummification methods used prior to cremation, it does not cause unnecessary harm to the body and does not pose a health risk to survivors.
Cremation may be a popular option among many people, yet some religious groups express reservations about its practice. Judaism has always disapproved of cremation as a desecration of the body – however, its practice has increasingly become accepted across multiple faiths.

The Final Say

Before cremation can begin, the body is first verified as being correct by a member of the crematorium staff and then its ID tag is removed and placed into a temporary container.

Following cremation has taken place, any metal remnants are then extracted using magnets; then once these have been extracted from the container either providing one from the family or temporarily holding onto one until one can be obtained permanently.

These ashes are transferred into either burial grounds of the crematorium or kept with the family in the home until their final disposition.