Whether for yourself or your loved one, you may be trying to make the choice between cremation or burial. More and more people are choosing cremation instead of burial because it ticks more boxes when it comes to their final wishes.
Benefits of Cremation Over Burial
If you’re wondering what the advantages are for cremation over traditional burial, take a look below. You may be surprised by some of the benefits of opting for cremation.
1.More Affordable
Choosing cremation is more cost-effective for several reasons. Firstly, many people have the option of choosing a cheaper casket because it will be cremated with the body or no casket at all. There is also the fact that cremation often doesn’t require headstones or cemetery plots.
A cremation service may also cost less than a burial service because there is no need to visit a cemetery plot to bury a loved one. On average, a cremation could cost up to 50% less than a burial.
2.Environmental Impact
Many people are concerned about the environmental impact their death might have. This is one of the top reasons so many people are now choosing cremation over burial.
When a body is buried it is first embalmed. The embalming process can lead to chemicals transferring to the earth when a person is buried. The earth is also disturbed in order to bury someone.
Burial sites are usually vast spaces that take up a lot of lands and sometimes require cutting down trees. Although the cremation process can release emissions into the atmosphere, it is constantly updated to ensure the environmental impact becomes less and less.
3.Easier Service
It can be difficult for family members to plan a funeral service in the immediate days after a loved one’s death. The shock and grief can put an enormous weight on them and they may end up making decisions they regret. A traditional burial funeral service involves a lot of planning.
You may have a church service, pallbearers, a burial site service, and awake one after the other. Although your service providers will be there to help you make decisions, it’s not something you want to have to worry about when you’re dealing with a big loss.
A cremation service can be much simpler. Many people choose to hold a celebration of life service and then scatter ashes privately in a sentimental place. This means you can take your time to say goodbye, instead of having to do it at a certain moment.
4.Plot Availability
Although burial sites are often large, many of them are nearing full capacity. This means it can be a struggle to get a burial plot in your chosen cemetery. With this in mind, cemetery owners are now increasing their prices, so you may find you have to pay more than before to ensure you get a plot.
Cremation doesn’t require you to buy a burial plot. Even if you want your ashes to stay close to a loved one who is buried, you won’t need to buy a plot.
5.An Array of Choices
When you choose a burial funeral, your choices are minimal. You can either be buried underground or lay your casket in a mausoleum. When you are cremated, you and your loved ones have a much wider range of choices and your cremation providers can assist you.
Ashes can be scattered somewhere special with a small ceremony, either on land or at sea. A small amount of ash can be taken and put inside jewelry, like necklaces or rings, so you can carry your loved one with you at all times. Ashes can even go into fireworks so you can create your display and scatter ashes at the same time.
Cremation allows you to be more creative when it comes to saying goodbye to your loved one. You have a lot more scope to do something you think would suit your loved one’s personality and wishes.
6.Religious Beliefs
In the past, the only thing stopping people from choosing cremation was their faith or religious beliefs. Some faiths have opposed the idea of cremation, with a much fonder view of burial. However, in recent years, cremation has become much more widely accepted.
For example, the Vatican released a statement on cremation in 2016. In the statement, it referred to the belief that the body is only a vessel but the soul is immortal. Thus saying that Catholics had free choice on whether to choose burial or cremation as their final wishes.
If you aren’t sure about what your faith says about burial vs cremation, it’s a good idea to speak to your spiritual leader. However, you will find that more faiths are becoming accepting of cremation.
7.Traditional Burial vs Cremation
Traditional burial vs cremation is very much a personal choice. What you choose will depend on your or your loved one’s views on life and after death. Cremation is often the more cost-effective choice and you have the option to turn your cremation service into something that suits you.
When it comes to remembering someone’s life and celebrating the person that has passed, cremation often offers something that burial doesn’t. When you’re thinking about creating the best funeral service, cremation allows you to start from scratch, rather than follow traditional burial guidelines. Why not take a look at some more of our articles, from health to lifestyle and everything in between?