Step-By-Step: What To Expect During A Cremation Service Process

The toughest part of anyone’s existence is saying goodbye to loved ones forever and leaving all earthly bounds behind. Even the thought of the day sends shivers down the spine. Burial and Cremation are the two important rituals performed after a person’s death. Though a clean burial is more traditional and is followed by many religious groups, a cremation service is also prevalent worldwide.

 

Cremation is the reduction of the dead to their base elements, like ash, through burning. Cremation is considered cheaper, less time-consuming, and practiced among various religious groups worldwide. Read till the end to find out the step-by-step processes followed in a ritual of cremation.

1.  Identification Of The Dead

The first and foremost step at a cremation service is to identify the dead. It is done by the closest relative, who handles everything. The crematorium worker then places an ID (usually a metal tag) on the body, which stays there throughout the process.

2.  Preparing The Body

After identification, the cremation service cleans and dresses the body and places it in the coffin to prepare for the funeral ceremony, if any. Any jewelry attached to the dead is taken off and given to the family, unless they request otherwise to let it stay with the body.

 

Body embalming can also be requested to delay the procession for a final goodbye from family and friends. It is also done because people like to keep their loved ones fresh throughout the funeral and burning ceremony.

3.  The Funeral Service Takes Place

The body is placed in a coffin and taken to the funeral service, where mourners say their final goodbyes and present eulogies. Musical services and hymns are offered to spread peace and happiness in everyone’s heart for a happy ending.

 

Funeral ceremonies are optional, and you can opt for a direct cremation. However, people have different beliefs, and rituals are a part of them, which makes the funeral a necessity.

4.  The Cremation Process

The cremation happens in a furnace, where the coffin is placed and subjected to high temperatures. The two-four-hour process turns the body to ash. After the cremation, a cooling period is required to let the inside of the furnace cool and obtain the ashes.

5.  Final Processes and Ash Transfer

After it cools down, the ash and any metal parts left (due to surgeries) are obtained. The crematorium sends the metal parts for recycling and collects the ash in a container (usually the urn). The family can take the remains as a memory or dispose of them at a meaningful location.

 

Since taking the remains is optional, you can let them stay at the crematorium. However, they won’t keep it for long unless they provide such a service.

Last Words

Be it a burial or cremation service, saying good is always tough. Cremation is less time-consuming and cheaper, but you won’t have a permanent location to visit your loved one. No one can dictate how one wants to send off their own, and it takes a lot of thinking, rituals, and traditions to decide such things. Whatever you choose, remember that the motto is to keep them alive in your heart.