There will come a day when all those around us, including ourselves, will leave this world and head on to greener pastures. Our fate has already been set in stone since birth but there’s no need to panic as we are often left with a lot of time in this world. Instead of being scared of the unavoidable, it would be much better to prepare for it instead.
The topic of death is often a fickle matter because there comes a lot of responsibility with it if you are the bereaved. You need to prepare and arrange everything with the funeral home. Beyond the wake, you should also think about how you want the person memorialized after death. The most popular way has always been the traditional burial in a coffin or casket, but more people are starting to see cremation services as the better option.
What Is Cremation?
Cremation as a means of disposition is not an entirely new concept. It has been around for years now. The folks at https://www.faircremation.co.uk/ put it simply as the process through which the remains of the fallen are incinerated in a furnace which is called a cremation chamber. Instead of a full-body, what you’ll instead see is a person reduced to his or her basic chemical compounds which include ashes, mineral fragments, and gases.
The cremation process is more than just using intense fire to incinerate one’s body. It’s a meticulous process like traditional burial as well.
How Does Cremation Work?
As with traditional burial methods, the body will have to be embalmed first. This helps reduce the decomposition rate of the body and it will also make it safer for you and everyone else to stay near the body during the wake. In cremation, embalming is also crucial as a person’s organs could interfere with the incineration process as these are mostly wet.
During the embalming process, unnatural parts like prostheses, silicone implants, and radioactive isotopes are removed first. Perhaps most importantly, the embalmers will make sure to remove pacemakers if the person has one. These can explode during the process, which can make it seriously dangerous.
Once done, the body is stored in a cool, temperature-controlled room until the body is approved for cremation. In some countries, there are laws that dictate that cremation should only be limited to one person at a time.
The cremation process is usually done directly after a funeral wake. This gives the family enough time to see their loved one, one last time. During the wake, the incinerator is preheated to around 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit. There are mechanical doors installed in the chamber, which makes it easy to put in the body.
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In some cremation rites, the body is incinerated along with flowers given by the relatives. In Asian countries, the bodies are covered in a large box through which those in attendance can write their departing words to the individual. Once prepared, the body is put into the cremation chamber.
Family members are often asked to watch the cremation process from a window, but this is completely optional. In Hindu cremations, families are even asked to start the fire by pressing a button. Once a starter, the incinerators begin to release intense columns of flamed usually aimed at the torso first.
As the insides of the chamber heat up, the rest of the body dries up. This results in the body tightening up, burning, and then eventually vaporizing from the heat. The skin begins to blister up and split. The muscles on the other hand will begin to flex and extend because it is tightening as well.
The bones are the last to be affected by the heat. They become calcified, which makes them very brittle. It usually takes around two to three hours for bodies to completely become what’s called cremains. The time and the amount of cremains depend on the size of the person.
Any large bones are going to be broken up into smaller ashes. After which, the remains are then going to be placed inside an urn of the family’s choosing. The ashes are cooled off for a bit as they can become seriously hot after the cremation process. Once inside the urn, they are finally cooled off, however.
The cremation process is symbolic too, as it brings us back to our most basic form – “ashes to ashes, dust to dust’ as they say. Before a person’s passing, it would be best to give them the choice as to whether or not they want traditional burial or cremation as they could want one over the other first.