Death is an eventuality that people sometimes are required to plan for, in the event of a loved one's terminal illness or advanced age. It is a traumatic time for those involved, and practical arrangements may be neglected. However, once addressed, they prove to be expensive, and one of the most costly aspects is the deceased's physical burial. This is why many people choose to make use of an alternative to burial, cremation. Cremation is no less dignified, but it is much cheaper. The deceased's ashes are then placed in specially selected 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, on the other hand, is a far simpler procedure. It is relatively quick, and it is cheaper. Since the remaining ashes pose no threat to hygiene, the family is allowed to do with them as they please. Some people issue specific instructions in this regard, such as casting the ashes into the sea or some other place of sentimental value.
However, if there are no such orders, the family may decide to keep the ashes at home, in a funerary urn. The urn itself is significant, because it can be used as part of the mourning and remembrance process. It can potentially be any shape, colour or style, so it can be used to commemorate the person who has passed away.
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.
Other unconventional uses of funerary urns are possible. People may bury valuable assets or money in the ashes, since the urn may not appear as important to burglars or thieves. In cases where the desired final resting place of a relative is a matter of dispute between family members, false ashes may be placed in the urn by either side.
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, on the other hand, is a far simpler procedure. It is relatively quick, and it is cheaper. Since the remaining ashes pose no threat to hygiene, the family is allowed to do with them as they please. Some people issue specific instructions in this regard, such as casting the ashes into the sea or some other place of sentimental value.
However, if there are no such orders, the family may decide to keep the ashes at home, in a funerary urn. The urn itself is significant, because it can be used as part of the mourning and remembrance process. It can potentially be any shape, colour or style, so it can be used to commemorate the person who has passed away.
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.
Other unconventional uses of funerary urns are possible. People may bury valuable assets or money in the ashes, since the urn may not appear as important to burglars or thieves. In cases where the desired final resting place of a relative is a matter of dispute between family members, false ashes may be placed in the urn by either side.
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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