CREMATION HAS BEEN CARRIED OUT FOR CENTURIES

In our western world cremation is a relatively new practice, but with the world changing and populations expanding, it should come as no surprise that cremation is becoming a common practice, which is often selected over burial. In some societies there is no other way except cremation, and yet in others cremation is considered to be taboo.

In the Hindu culture for example, it is believed that the soul and the body are the basis for why funeral rites include cremation – typically the only Hindus that are not cremated are little babies, children and saints as they are viewed as being pure and not attached to the physical body, and therefore can be buried and not cremated.

Cremation Procedures:

Cremation is carried out at high temperatures that range from between 1400 to 1800 degrees F – about 982 degrees C.

This incredibly concentrated heat assists in reducing the body right down to the dried bone fragments.

The cremation chamber is preheated prior to cremation taking place and once this is attained, the body is transferred as quickly as possible so as to avoid any loss of heat. Cremation is usually performed at a cemetery or at a funeral home that offers these services; alternatively at a stand-alone crematorium.

Cremating a human body takes in the region of three hours but this is all dependent on how much the body weighs, the kind of casket that the body was cremated in and other factors such as temperature.

Once cremated, the body is reduced to bone fragments which are then pulverised further for dispensing after the actual cremation process.

When the body is cremated, it needs to be placed in a sturdy, fully flammable container and can take the form of a traditional coffin or any other sturdy container – but it must be completely devoid of any metal parts or trimmings.

These are only a handful of cremation procedures – naturally the method of cremation will differ from one culture to the next.