The Vikings did it, as did the Romans. Other religions such as Hinduism and Sikhism also do it, although their reasons may be more for economic reasons or area and theology-specific divisions within the religion as a whole. The use of a ceremonial cremation has been around for thousands of years and is a natural process whereby a deceased person, reduced to basic chemical elements, is returned to the earth and air.

Today, modern cremation is the second most popular choice for almost 40 percent of the United States population as an acceptable form of funeral rite and as opposed to the physical internment of a deceased person into the ground. Reasons may be personal belief (religious or secular), economic considerations, or reasons involving the safety of the environment.

Cremation occurs within a crematorium complete with an industrial type furnace. Typically, by placing a body in the retort or chamber of the furnace, it is incinerated and almost completely consumed by fire. The burning of propane or natural gas provides temperatures of 1,598-1,796 ° F and the heat level ensures the body is reduced to bone fragments with all other soft tissue vaporized or oxidized as vented gas.

Cremations in general are also cheaper than the labor and material intensive internment process incurred for a traditional burial. The cost may be as little as twenty percent of a traditional burial as embalming is not necessary, nor is a gravesite, casket or vault. The cremated remains are usually transferred to an urn, scattered at sea, and in some cases, incorporated into jewelry or other pieces of artwork. Some people may even opt to be blasted into space, become part of a living reef, or turned into a diamond.

Even so, cremations have been around since humans have existed. Open air cremations were accomplished with the use of a funeral pyre, which is a structure where a deceased body is destroyed by burning with flammable materials, most typically with wood. For many, the use of open air cremation was believed to be a purifying event and released the soul. In fact, the burning of bodies has been used often in recent times due to animals or humans that died as a result of a catastrophic event, and to prevent or kill diseases. Fire completely destroys viruses and other pathogens.

Choosing an open air cremation may be based on religious reasons. Recently, a British Hindu, 71-year-old Davender Ghai, from Newcastle, won the right to open air cremation. Yet, his winning was not based on his religious beliefs, but instead on building codes involving crematoriums. Therefore, provided the cremation occurred within a structure surrounded by four walls and away from urban areas and homes, Ghai will get his wish. Only the roof will be absent in order to let the ensuing gases and chemicals to escape.

In the United States, a group known as Crestone End of Life Project, located in Crestone, Colorado, also offers a limited number of open air cremations for its members. Although not yet widely accepted in most parts of the United States, open air cremation does offer the option of an “eco-friendly and green” funeral ceremony. Whether this method of cremation will become popular and depending on if a significant number of people are interested, remains to be seen.

Sources:
Cremation by Funeral Pyre, TheFuneralSite.com
Video: The end of life, Creston End of Life Project
Crestone End-of-Life Project, 2008
British Hindu wins right to cremation in ‘enclosed’ funeral pyre, by dpa, February 10 2010
Cremation Association of North America (CANA), 2010

Written by Dusti Sparks-Myers