In the midst of the psychological mayhem and household upheaval that death brings about, people might lose sight of essential practical implications that are associated with it. One of these is the burial of the deceased person, and it is when people start to plan this that they discover the substantial cost involved. Nowadays, it is not unusual for people to cremate their loved ones. This involves no disrespect to the dead, and it is not as burdensome financially either. The remaining ashes can then be buried or taken home in ceramic funerary urns.
The expense incurred through physical burial is the result of several factors. First, there is the outlay on the tombstone, which is large. Second, local authorities are increasingly unenthusiastic about allowing permanent graves, since their graveyards are either entirely occupied or near to that. Graves have tariffs, and sometimes the older ones are exhumed and re-used.
Another factor is that the grave has to be maintained. Relatives do not necessarily want to participate in the grave site's continuous upkeep, or they are not always able to. Abandoning the grave of a loved one is not a wholesome prospect, since graveyards are notorious targets for vandalism and unsightly neglect. These are offensive to the dead person's memory.
Cremation is a less onerous method of disposing of the body. It can be performed in less than a day and is not as financially taxing on the family. Authorities place no restrictions on what relatives are allowed to do with the ashes, since the ash is not a threat to public health. Sometimes, the deceased leaves specific orders on how their ash is to be stored or disposed of. This typically revolves around a place that was important to them, such as their favourite sports team's home stadium. Their relatives would then sprinkle the ashes on the pitch in the stadium.
In the absence of such instructions, it is customary for the family to keep the ashes in an urn. The choice of urn then becomes part of the memorial process. Urns can be ordered in customised designs and colours, making them not only a pleasant reminder of the deceased, but also a tribute to that person.
Someone who was a hardcore supporter of a sports team could have an urn dedicated to that team, designed in its colours or even in the shape of a characteristic item of sports equipment. The potential for creative expression in this medium is high, and it does not have to cost that much. People can use urns to leave behind a pleasant reminder of themselves with their family and friends.
There are also stories of people who have used the urns for other purposes, besides their primary one of storing the ashes. The ash is worth nothing financially, so other high-value assets are sometimes hidden in them. Where the urn is indeed a source of conflict in a family, such as when there is an argument as to who should keep it, relatives might substitute the deceased's ash with the ordinary ash of something else, such as incinerated newspapers.
Such levity aside, the death of a family member is recognised by psychologists as the hardest personal experience that anyone ever has to deal with. Urns allow people to put a more personal stamp on the official process of cremation and mourning. They are also more accessible to those who cannot easily sponsor a grave and tombstone. Therefore, price does not have be yet another negative aspect of an already unhappy situation.
The expense incurred through physical burial is the result of several factors. First, there is the outlay on the tombstone, which is large. Second, local authorities are increasingly unenthusiastic about allowing permanent graves, since their graveyards are either entirely occupied or near to that. Graves have tariffs, and sometimes the older ones are exhumed and re-used.
Another factor is that the grave has to be maintained. Relatives do not necessarily want to participate in the grave site's continuous upkeep, or they are not always able to. Abandoning the grave of a loved one is not a wholesome prospect, since graveyards are notorious targets for vandalism and unsightly neglect. These are offensive to the dead person's memory.
Cremation is a less onerous method of disposing of the body. It can be performed in less than a day and is not as financially taxing on the family. Authorities place no restrictions on what relatives are allowed to do with the ashes, since the ash is not a threat to public health. Sometimes, the deceased leaves specific orders on how their ash is to be stored or disposed of. This typically revolves around a place that was important to them, such as their favourite sports team's home stadium. Their relatives would then sprinkle the ashes on the pitch in the stadium.
In the absence of such instructions, it is customary for the family to keep the ashes in an urn. The choice of urn then becomes part of the memorial process. Urns can be ordered in customised designs and colours, making them not only a pleasant reminder of the deceased, but also a tribute to that person.
Someone who was a hardcore supporter of a sports team could have an urn dedicated to that team, designed in its colours or even in the shape of a characteristic item of sports equipment. The potential for creative expression in this medium is high, and it does not have to cost that much. People can use urns to leave behind a pleasant reminder of themselves with their family and friends.
There are also stories of people who have used the urns for other purposes, besides their primary one of storing the ashes. The ash is worth nothing financially, so other high-value assets are sometimes hidden in them. Where the urn is indeed a source of conflict in a family, such as when there is an argument as to who should keep it, relatives might substitute the deceased's ash with the ordinary ash of something else, such as incinerated newspapers.
Such levity aside, the death of a family member is recognised by psychologists as the hardest personal experience that anyone ever has to deal with. Urns allow people to put a more personal stamp on the official process of cremation and mourning. They are also more accessible to those who cannot easily sponsor a grave and tombstone. Therefore, price does not have be yet another negative aspect of an already unhappy situation.
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