Organizing a cremation or funeral is an unpleasant task. Every person at least once in his life experiences mental pain from the loss of a loved one. But it is precisely during these mourning days that the relatives of the deceased need to gather their thoughts and deal with the issue of burial or cremation of the body of the deceased person. If the deceased during his lifetime managed to convey to his close people his last will about exactly how he would like to be buried, the situation in this case is clear. It is not customary to act against the wishes of a deceased person. The burial option may also be specified in the will. When relatives do not have such a document or it does not indicate the will of the deceased regarding this, the decision on burial or cremation is made at the family council.

Cremation permit

The further actions of the relatives of the deceased person depend on what exactly is chosen (cremation or funeral). If a decision has been made to bury the body, it is placed in a coffin and given a traditional burial in a cemetery. If another method is chosen, then people organizing cremation must take into account some of the features and nuances of this procedure.

The cremation process does not require any special permission. In big cities, about 50% of bodies are sent to crematorium. This popularity is explained by the lack of space in the cemetery to perform standard burials.

And the urn with ashes can be buried in an existing grave belonging to a close relative of the deceased.

Cremation in Russia is officially permitted. This burial method was used back in 1927. At that time, the first crematorium in Russia was opened on the territory of the Donskoy Monastery. This method of disposing of the body is common in countries where the population professes Buddhism, Shintoism and Hinduism. This method of burying a person is not the main one among Catholics and Orthodox Christians. The Church does not approve, but does not prohibit cremation. However, even in the case of burning a human body, it is necessary to first perform a mandatory funeral ceremony over it.

Cremation arrangements

Unlike conventional burial, the cremation procedure is a very new method that has 2 significant advantages:

• minor material costs;
• environmental safety.

Before taking a person's body to the crematorium, the relatives of the deceased must complete certain documents. First of all, you need to take care of obtaining a death certificate. Then you need to take to the morgue the clothes that the person will wear during the funeral service in the church, the civil memorial service, and directly during the burning. As a result, it is necessary to agree on the release of the body on a certain day. When everything is ready, you can go to the crematorium. There, you initially need to decide whether it will be a general or individual cremation. The choice of option depends on financial capabilities, since a single burning is much more expensive.

Possible problems

Problems can occur at various stages of preparation for cremation. The crematorium will refuse to perform the ritual due to the lack of a complete package of documents. In order for the body of the deceased to be accepted into the crematorium, the accompanying person must bring:

• own identification document (passport);
• death certificate (copy);
• a receipt-contract confirming payment for services.

Of course, the passport brought is returned to the person. If a person who died a violent death or as a result of an accident is brought for cremation, he will additionally need to provide written permission from the investigative department.

The same document will be required if a person is brought for cremation without identification.

Insufficient number of crematoriums is another significant problem. It is especially relevant for residents of small settlements, where it is much easier to organize a ritual in a cemetery. At the moment, crematoria are only available in large cities:

• Moscow;
• St. Petersburg;
• Volgograd;
• Novosibirsk;
• Yekaterinburg;
• Yaroslavl;
• Khabarovsk;
• and in some others.

If the deceased person lived in a city where there is no crematorium, and relatives do not want to bury him in a cemetery, then they need to contact a company that provides long-distance passenger transportation. It is better to order a car in which the body will be delivered for cremation in advance. In this case, you need to make sure exactly what hours the crematorium is open. There shouldn't be any other problems.

Cremation and release of an urn with ashes

The most important moment comes when relatives have to say goodbye to the body of the deceased person. Many people are interested in how cremation occurs and what is appropriate to bring to the ritual of farewell to the body. Currently, there is general and individual cremation. In the first case, the ritual of farewell to the bodies of cremated people is practically absent. Several bodies are placed in an oven at once and burned.

The ashes are placed in urns and given to relatives.

Individual cremation is an expensive ritual. Relatives of the deceased can bring flowers to the cemetery and make farewell speeches. After individual cremation has taken place, relatives are given an urn containing the ashes of the deceased. If for some reason the urn is not collected, it is stored in the morgue for free for 40 days. Then a fee of 5 rubles begins to be charged for each day of storage. If after a year the relatives do not take the urn, it is buried in a cemetery in a common grave.

On average, individual cremation costs from 5 to 6 thousand rubles. The price depends on the region. For the ritual of general burning you will have to pay from 3 to 4 thousand rubles. If the relatives themselves do not want to organize cremation, they can contact funeral agencies. Funeral service employees will handle paperwork and prepare the body of the deceased.

People don't always want to talk about death, much less think about their own funeral in the future. But, as you know, the human body is not eternal, and the time comes when the relatives of the deceased need to resolve the issue of funeral. Modern funeral services are not limited to the generally accepted burial of a deceased person in a coffin, but offer several options for sending them on their last journey.

Increasingly, in modern society they try not to bury the body underground, but to cremate it. This process involves burning a corpse in special ovens (crematoriums) at high temperatures of over 1000 degrees. Under such conditions, even hard bone tissue becomes brittle and turns to ash. The tradition of burning bodies dates back to prehistoric times and is popular even today.

Cremation is chosen due to its convenience and practicality. In addition, some people are squeamish about the fact that their body will rot and be eaten by worms underground.

Crematorium

To cremate a body, certain conditions are required, which can be achieved thanks to a special Crematorium oven. Inside it, an incredible temperature is reached - up to 1092 degrees Celsius, which allows you to turn the body into a small handful of bones and ash. After burning, large bone remains are crushed in a centrifuge, if there is permission from relatives.

Modern crematoria run on gas, electric or special fuel. The entire cremation procedure for an average person takes about 2 hours, but it all depends on the characteristics of each body. For example, a person who suffered from cancer or tuberculosis during his lifetime requires more time for cremation. The same can be said about drug addicts and those people who often took various drugs.

To ensure that the resulting ashes are homogeneous, all remains are sorted and sifted. Metal crowns or dentures present in the body are selected using a powerful magnet.

How does cremation happen?

After preliminary preparation of the body, the closed coffin with the deceased is loaded into the oven chamber. Next, the automatic electronics of the device come into play.

1. The initial stage of cremation is the burning of the coffin. This process takes about 10 minutes. It all starts with the ignition of the walls of the coffin, which begin to disintegrate, after which the ignition affects all combustible materials. The soft tissues of the body begin to decompose when exposed to high temperatures (carbonization process).
2. Starting from the second stage, the furnace automation sets the temperature regime so that the destruction of the body occurs in certain sequences. The main thing is that these processes occur according to standard patterns, otherwise it will not be possible to achieve full mineralization of bone and soft tissues.

There are several factors that are taken into account when cremating each body, and thanks to which the required oven mode is set. These include:

• Age of the deceased.
• Body weight.
• The time that elapsed from pronouncing death to cremation.
• Features of the lifestyle of the deceased (habitual diet, drug therapy, presence of diseases).

These parameters are of great importance for crematorium workers, because the required combustion mode will depend on them. Thus, some factors provoke dehydration of the body, others, for example, leaching of calcium from bones, and all this affects the final result of cremation.

Processing of ashes

Burning is not the end of a complex process. Another, no less important stage of cremation is the final processing of the remains, because after the thermal effect of the oven, they remain in a heterogeneous consistency. The remains include ash, bone fragments and possible metal parts. The homogeneity of the ashes is ensured in the Cremulator - a special device for crushing the remains to the state of homogeneous ash, sifting out all that is unnecessary.

But many crematoria operate without this equipment, using old methods of processing ashes (crushing particles with a hammer and sifting the ashes by hand).

After cremation, the ashes of the deceased are placed in an urn and handed over to relatives, who dispose of them at their own discretion, or follow the will of the deceased.

What the law says

There is a certain law according to which ashes are released to relatives. After the burning of the body is completed and the remains are loaded into an urn, it is handed over to the close relatives of the deceased in a specially prepared room - a farewell hall, where a “farewell” ceremony is performed. But you can’t just get an urn with ashes, since it is issued only after the presentation of certain documents:

1. Certificate of death of a person.
2. Passport of a relative who wants to pick up the ballot box.
3. Conclusion on cremation (taken from the crematorium where the procedure was carried out).
4. Certificate of availability of a burial plot (this can be obtained from the cemetery where relatives plan to bury the urn). There may be several options:

• Burial in a separate area - burial of the remains after release by the crematorium can be carried out in a cemetery, similar to a standard burial in a coffin. The cemetery administration must allocate a site in advance and prepare a hole. Burying an urn does not require the same area as a coffin, so it will cost a little less.
• Recently, they have begun to practice burying ashes in existing graves of relatives. As stated in the laws, a free plot in the local cemetery is provided for one resident of a locality, but in reality, the relatives of the deceased always pay a considerable amount of money for this. If you bury the urn in a family grave, you will only need money to dig a hole, but if you need to change the monuments, you will again have to pay a lot of money.
• Urns containing ashes are often buried in the Wall of Sorrow columbariums. In this wall there are many cells in which an urn is placed and covered with a memorial plate with information about the person resting in this place.

Common traditions

Burying an urn with the ashes of the deceased is not the only option. For example, in many Western countries, many people leave trash cans for storage at home. For us, this may sound unacceptable and creepy; after all, it contains the remains of the deceased, but if this was the will of the deceased, then hardly anyone will argue with this.

Another tradition of saying goodbye to the deceased is scattering the ashes. Typical dispersal sites are meta-pilgrimages. But occasionally, fulfilling the last will of the deceased, relatives scatter the ashes over his native places. There are special services that scatter the ashes of a cremated person, which will deliver and scatter the ashes anywhere in the world.

Often, human people were looking for ways and opportunities to avoid ending up in the damp earth: some are scared, others are afraid of decomposition, and others just want to try a funerary “novelty,” although they cannot talk about the sensations. How cremation occurs and why it is needed is discussed and described in detail in the article.

What is cremation?

Cremation is the turning of the body into ashes. This is done in a very specific sanitary environment using equipment that "helps" reduce the human body to ashes under high temperatures. Once the process is complete, the cremated remains can be preserved in an urn, made into jewelry, scattered in a favorite location, or buried in a cemetery. These are some of the most common options for disposition of cremated remains, but some families actually have more options, including creating ash tattoos.

This is mainly common in the USA. Cremation in Russia is a rare pleasure for the deceased and relatives due to the pricing policy.

What are the benefits of cremation?

There has always been an ongoing debate: cremation versus burial. The graph below shows how cremation has steadily increased in popularity in the United States over the past 50 years. In 2015, the level of burnt bodies exceeded the burial level for the first time. Also, the forecast on the graph does not show a slowdown in the popularity of cremation. By 2035, it is predicted that more than 75% of Americans will choose this type of farewell instead of burial.

Many people consider cremation a "greener alternative" than burial because they know how cremation works: there is no decomposition involved in the procedure:

1. Burial often uses harsh chemicals to embalm the remains for the funeral service. This has led to concerns that the chemicals may pollute the environment.
2. While the crematorium does produce emissions, new equipment is constantly being developed to reduce pollution and environmental impact.
3. A cremation service offers a much simpler process than a burial service. Typically, when people choose to bury their loved one, they order traditional funeral services along with the accepted ritual rites.
4. Some people still choose to have a traditional funeral along with cremation and hold memorial services.

There are two options for burial - burial underground on the site or placing the coffin in a mausoleum. Cremation provides several options in terms of what can be done with your loved one's ashes. You can scatter the ashes in a special place, store them in a beautiful urn, and some in memorial decorations. Americans even launch fireworks from the ashes of the deceased.

Preparation

The process of cremation of a dead body is carried out at temperatures ranging from 1400 to 1800 degrees Fahrenheit (+760-982 ⁰). The intense heat helps condition the body to the point where bone fragments are dried out.

The process takes place in a cremation chamber, also known as a crematorium retort. It is preheated to a preset temperature, and then the human body is placed and quickly transferred inside through a mechanized door to avoid heat loss.

Here is a video showing the cremation of a human body.

The duration of the process usually depends on certain factors. They are:

• weight or body size;
• body fat percentage for muscle mass;
• equipment performance;
• operating temperature of the cremation chamber;
• the type of cremation container or casket that holds the body.

Based on this, we can assume how cremation takes place and how important it is. Judging by the video, it is impossible to be sure that the entire human body will be burned out and placed in an urn.

What is the sequence of the procedure?

During combustion, the body is exposed to a column of flame generated in a furnace operating on natural gas, oils, and propane. When a corpse is placed in a coffin or container (preferably made of flammable material), the container burns. The heat then dries out the body, burns skin and hair, contracts and envelops muscles, vaporizes soft tissue, and calcifies bones so that they eventually crumble. Gases released during the process are released through the exhaust system. Peculiarities:

1. The bodies are mostly burned one at a time. There is no odor because the emissions are treated with special solutions to eliminate the formation of any by-products.
2. Some crematoria have a secondary afterburner where the body is re-incinerated. Otherwise, the cremation technique will require an addition - crushing the burnt out skull bones. The remains are ground into dust.
3. Tiny remains may still remain in the chamber and mix with particles from subsequent cremations. However, they also contain unspent metal items such as screws, nails, hinges and other parts of the coffin or container.
4. Additionally, the mixture may contain dental materials, dental gold, surgical screws, dentures, implants, etc. These items are removed using strong magnets and/or forceps after manual inspection. All metals are subsequently disposed of in accordance with local regulations.

Mechanical devices, particularly pacemakers, are removed early because they can explode due to extreme heat and damage equipment and personnel. How this happens, the cremation of a person and his remains, is already clear. What follows is the final point.

The final stage of cremation

Finally, the dried bone fragments are further ground to a finer, sand-like consistency. The machine used for this grinding is called cremulator.

These remains are placed in an urn and given to a relative or representative of the deceased. If an urn is not available, the crematorium may return the ashes to the default plastic box or container. Now we know how this happens. Human cremation also has alternatives that are similar in procedure.

How long ago was cremation “invented”?

Of course, burning the dead is not a new concept, it has been around for a long time. Cremation began in the Stone Age and was common, although not universal, in ancient Greece and Rome. In some religions, such as Hinduism and Jainism, cremation is not only permitted but also preferred.

The rise of Christianity slowed down the practice in the West. As early as 330 AD, when Emperor Constantine adopted Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire, Rome banned cremation as a pagan practice.

The theological reason for the ban was related to the resurrection: it was good to keep the body whole or in one place. Through the Reformation, the Catholic Church "scowled" or banned cremation, although the procedure was used for reasons of punishment and hygiene. Jewish law also prohibited this practice. By the 5th century, the procedure had virtually disappeared from Europe. Understanding how cremation occurs, only one concern about the environment is enough. They didn’t think about her then, relying only on personal considerations and trusting in God.

How long does the procedure take?

On average, cremation of a human body takes one to three hours, reducing it to 1.5-3.2 kg of cremaline (ash). The remains are usually grayish in color. You can find out how long cremation lasts in advance, but the exact time can be determined after the person’s death.

The cost of an "expensive" death

Not every modern person knows how much cremation costs. In the USA in the last century, a family was willing to pay about 5 dollars for it. Now the price has increased to 500 units. In Russia, crematoria value their work at tens of thousands of rubles. The cost (in rubles) is formed from several indicators:

In fact, the minimum price for such a service does not reach 10 thousand rubles. Now, knowing how much cremation costs, you can compare the price tags of funeral homes. True, the ethical side of the issue has still not been resolved, and families have no idea where they can go to “communicate” with a deceased relative (if the ashes are scattered).

Somehow earlier, in 2016, a journalist-reporter called the cremation center in the Arkhangelsk region, who, under the guise of a client, was interested in the price of services.

He was told the amount of 7,100 rubles - for music and registration. Additionally for moving the coffin, farewell funeral service and some additional services. You only need to buy the urn separately. We need to buy additional transport. The final price will be announced by the Unified Ritual Service. Everything here is turnkey.

Later, the cost of services increased and amounted to 18,000 rubles - this is the coffin and transportation of the corpse. You need to buy a pillow and slippers separately, because it is customary for Christians to bring slippers to cremation. On average, you need to spend about 30,000 rubles.

Only the space for the trash can is not free. It's like a sarcophagus made of stone, round and in several rows. The lowest ones cost from 70,000 rubles. The last one is at the mezzanine level in the corridor, even more expensive, away from the ground. You need to pay separately for the plaque - 5,000 rubles, and engraving on a monument the size of 2-3 standard printed photos - almost 10,000 rubles.

Funeral services “from the outback” offer to organize family funerals for several people at once for 20,000 rubles. And this includes digging, and the place is free.

Hydrolysis - an alternative to cremation

Cremation of the dead is not the last thing that can be considered modern in Moscow. There is also hydrolysis of the body of the deceased, when those “dissolved in eternity” enter the water element. This is resomation: the body is sent to a resomator, where it decomposes in 3-4 hours. There are no gas emissions, an environmentally friendly procedure and quite inexpensive. A chamber is filled with a solution of potassium hydroxide, in which the pressure rises to 10 units and the temperature to 180 °C. Demineralization of hard tissues and dissolution of soft tissues occurs.

After cooling, the remains are removed and dried in an oven for 10 minutes. They are also ground into powder if there are undissolved particles.

Burial cannot be cremated: the opinion of the church

The Orthodox Church was skeptical about this method of burial. It was not clear what to do after a person’s cremation, how to go to his “grave.” You can't just bury the urn. If relatives divide the ashes and let them go to waste, then there will be no memory left.

This is what the Council of Bishops says:

If we assume that in ancient times a Christian treated the Temple of the Holy Spirit with reverence, today the Holy Synod allows only one burial norm - burial in the ground. Cremation is outside the Orthodox tradition. At the end there is a resurrection. If cremation is allowed, then we are abandoning God, who allowed Christ to be resurrected both in body and soul.

It turns out that it’s all about faith, because it is faith that makes us believe in life after death. If you delve into the Bible, it prohibits thinking that there is anything after physiological death or reincarnation. And here it is stated that a person renounces his religion by cremation, because he has ceased to believe that he can be resurrected. These contradictions prompt citizens not only to move to a more “comfortable farewell perspective,” but also to take the side of environmentalists.

Attitude to world traditions

In Europe, the attitude towards cremation is still ambivalent: some believe in death and the end of life, some do not want to rot in the ground for 10-20 years, while others are afraid of the dark. Although after life everything will be different (no one knows how). Young people in Russia want to use the burial method as an alternative: standing on a shelf to admire, because a mausoleum is too honorable a pleasure. The price is almost the same, but you can find a cemetery where they will agree to place the urn with ashes simply on a shelf without signs, inscriptions or photos.

When a loved one dies, grief overwhelms us. But in most cases the decision has to be made very quickly. We remember what the deceased said, try to understand his will, and see our real possibilities. It can be difficult to hear the voice of reason in organizing a funeral, not only because of the surging emotions, but also because of the mass of superstitions, prejudices and misconceptions in relation to death and burial.

We turned for advice to Moscow priests Ioann Zakharov, rector of the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Russian Children's Clinical Hospital (RCCH), and Nikolai Petrov, cleric of the Church of the Holy Blessed Tsarevich Demetrius at the first city hospital, teacher of the St. Dimitrievsky School of Sisters of Mercy and St. Dimitrievskaya secondary school.

Priest John Zakharov,rector of the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the RussianChildren's Clinical Hospital (RDKB), Moscow

Is it possible to be cremated?

It seems to me that this question is posed incorrectly. But it’s difficult to answer when you don’t see the person asking the question and don’t know his specific situation, circumstances, or capabilities. Most likely, my relatives are concerned about another question: what will happen if I cremate my relative?

Unfortunately, very often the circumstances in which people who have lost their relative find themselves do not allow them to properly perform the burial. We know that burying in the city, and especially in big cities, is very expensive. Not everyone has “ancestral” villages where they grew up, cemeteries where they can be buried and come there. Bury 100 kilometers from the city where you live, in a new cemetery or landfill that has been converted into a cemetery, where it is difficult for a lonely and elderly person to get to? Often a lot depends on the physical strength and financial capabilities of relatives. That's why people resort to cremation out of necessity. Although, on the other hand, if a person has set out to bury his relative in the ground, not cremate him, then he can get this opportunity both with the help of the state and friends and colleagues. Funerals are something for which people are often willing to help and chip in.

The fate of a person’s soul is not directly related to what happens to his body: people die in fires, in plane crashes nothing remains of a person. burial in the ground is more traditional and acceptable for human consciousness. Cremation is not a Christian method of burial that came from Eastern religions.

The veneration of relics in Christianity presupposes that the body of the deceased is treated with great reverence, especially since we know that the Lord will resurrect the body, although it is not necessary that something be preserved from it. But nevertheless, the body in Christianity takes part in the spiritual life of a person.

But even if someone was burned or cremated, then there is nothing terrible for the soul, the funeral service is performed. The same thing happens to the soul as to all others. We believe that the Lord can resurrect, even if the body has suffered greatly, but from a Christian point of view, it is not worth consciously going for cremation.

In Russia, according to statistics, on average, about 10% of funerals involve the cremation of the deceased. In big cities, from 30 to 70% of mourning ceremonies end. How does human cremation occur and what are the specifics of this type of burial?

Traditions and sacred meaning of the ritual

Before the arrival of Christianity in Rus', the ancient Slavs worshiped various deities and spirits, including Svarog, the god of fire. Many rituals were associated with this element, one of them was human cremation. Burial of the dead in the ground was not practiced - the body of the deceased, along with his personal belongings, amulets, food and pets, was put on fire. According to beliefs, the human soul had to leave the Earth by a certain date. Various rituals helped facilitate this process and help her break the connection with the physical body.

Cremation of the corpse was carried out on a fire or in a boat, at the bottom of which hay and branches were placed. The boat, positioned stern toward sunset, was set on fire by the elder of the clan or the sorcerer. The path on water and crossing the river symbolized the transition of the soul of the deceased to another world. After burning at the stake, the ashes remaining after the cremation of the person were collected in a special urn - a domina. The remains that were not completely burned were scattered throughout the area closest to the ritual area. Urns with ashes were covered with earth, forming mounds. In honor of the deceased and as a sign of farewell to him, a funeral feast was held - a funeral feast with dancing and military competitions. Strava, the same meal, fell on Friday - the day of the goddess Moksha. According to popular belief, she wove the threads of fate and took the lost souls of the dead to the afterlife.

Cremation at all times of the nation’s existence was also accepted among the Hindus, whose language, culture and traditions are close to those of the East Slavs. The burning of the body takes place on the banks of the Ganges in a sacred place - the city of Varanasi, which guarantees the purification of the karma of the deceased. The corpses are also burned on bonfires or in ghats - local crematoriums. In the “Houses of Death,” relatives and loved ones bid farewell to the deceased, after which the body is burned and the ashes are scattered to the wind.

Cremation has a sacred meaning and is much more important than inhumation. Proponents of reincarnation believe that burning a corpse purifies a person's soul. The etheric body leaves the deceased on the 3rd day, the astral body on the 9th day, and the mental body, according to the beliefs of many religions, on the 40th day. Cremation of a person after death speeds up the process of freeing the soul from the body. During it, the remains of the organism, as during burial, are mineralized, i.e. become decay, which does not contradict Christian tradition.

Burying the ashes of a person placed in an urn in a cemetery is consonant with the biblical saying “From the earth we came and into the earth we will go.” The resurrection of the dead at the second coming of Christ implies the rebirth, first of all, of the souls of those who died at the age of 33. According to biblical prophecies, the rebels will receive new incorruptible bodies, the existence of which will be determined by space and time to a lesser extent than that of currently living people. The cremation procedure in this sense does not conflict with Christian dogmas.

What is needed to cremate a person?

The reasons why the relatives of the deceased decide to burn the corpse rather than bury it in a coffin can be both the desire expressed by the deceased during his lifetime and the decision of his relatives. In the absence of the will of the deceased regarding cremation in accordance with Art. 5 of the Law “On Burial and Funeral Affairs”, the spouse, relatives (children, parents), and other legal representatives have the right to determine the order of burial of a person. The procedure for cremating people is also regulated by other by-laws and instructions.

Close people who have chosen a crematorium for a person who has died collect the following package of documents:

• death certificate;
• funeral organizer's identity card;
• a service agreement signed with the institution and a payment receipt;
• if a person’s death did not occur due to natural causes or due to illness - a certificate from the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.

In order to bury the ashes of the deceased as a result of cremation, you will also need to provide a number of documents. All stages of the procedure are regulated by law.

How is a person cremated?

The corpse is burned in a special industrial oven, powered by gas or other fuel and consisting of 2 chambers. In the first, the air temperature fluctuates between +870…+1100 °C, which ensures the complete disintegration of the physical body. Relatives of the deceased often ask the question: “Are they cremated in a coffin or not?” Yes, in the chamber a human corpse is burned in a coffin, which catches fire first, after which the soft tissues of the body ignite.

Setting up the operation of the furnace depends on the following significant factors, which allow the crematorium staff to select the correct combustion mode:

• age of the deceased;
• body weight;
• the number of days that have passed from the moment of death to the cremation of the corpse;
• features of the lifestyle of the deceased (diet, presence of diseases and drug therapy).

Some medications cause dehydration, leaching calcium from the body's bones, which affects how long the burning lasts. On average, the procedure takes about 2.5 hours. The corpse of a person who died from tuberculosis or cancer, as well as the bodies of drug addicts, take longer to burn. The flammability of the material used to make the coffin also influences how long the procedure will take. In order to reduce funeral costs, you can choose a wooden container to accommodate the deceased without expensive fittings, internal contents in the form of silk upholstery and other decorative elements.

In the second compartment of the unit, the cremulator, the remains are crushed in a centrifuge to a homogeneous mass - ash. In some crematoria, it is sifted by hand and the solid remains are broken up with a special hammer, so the burning process takes longer. The result is a substance - what is called the ashes of the deceased. Steel objects are removed from the ashes using a magnet and given to the loved ones of the deceased.

After the cremation of a person’s body is completed, the ashes are poured into a special metal capsule. Registration of each incoming ashes makes it possible to prevent mixing of ashes - this is how everything happens, incl. registration at the crematorium. The deceased is assigned an identification number. A tablet with it is placed on the lid of the coffin, subsequently remaining inside a sealed capsule or urn, which the employee of the institution gives to relatives.

Human body cremation ceremony

In the farewell hall, a coffin with the deceased is placed on a pedestal. Relatives have the opportunity to spend time with the deceased - this is the most significant moment in the funeral procedure. The creation of a mourning atmosphere is facilitated by the sound of musical compositions, which are ordered by relatives on the eve of cremation or chosen by employees of the institution. In large crematoria, farewell to the deceased occurs simultaneously in several ritual halls, decorated with paintings with religious subjects, vases with flowers and other interior elements. The music is recorded or performed by cellists and organists who work at the institution.

After the farewell procedure, the coffin for cremation is transferred to a conveyor and transported to the transit room. From there it moves to the oven, where the deceased is burned. The capsule or urn, the design of which is chosen by the loved ones of the deceased, can be collected within 1 year after cremation.

Cremation is only the initial stage of burial. After this, the ashes are scattered, the urn is placed in an open or closed columbarium, and it is also buried in a grave. According to the law, a capsule with the ashes of a deceased person is issued after presenting a number of documents:

• death certificates;
• identification documents of the relative who decided to pick up the ballot box;
• conclusions that the burning took place in this crematorium;
• certificate of form BO-13 from the organization that provided funeral services;
• certificate of availability of a plot for burial of the remains of the deceased in the cemetery, incl. with permission to use the graves of relatives or places in the columbarium for these purposes.

If relatives have not taken the urn with ashes after 1 year, crematorium workers decide to bury the ashes in a common grave at the institution.

Wall of Sorrow: Columbarium

The tradition of preserving the ashes left after burning a body appeared in Ancient Rome. To store ashes, special structures with cells for urns were erected - columbariums. Ancient Roman walls with niches, like modern buildings, were made of marble and natural stone. Columbariums are also built from concrete and brick, installed outdoors or indoors.

Walls of grief are built on the territory of the crematorium or occupy plots of land specially allocated for these purposes in cemeteries. The niches with urns are looked after by special workers - caretakers, subordinate to the head of the columbarium. The cost of a cell for storing ashes depends on the region of the Russian Federation, the material used (the difference in the price of a sarcophagus made of natural stone or concrete is significant) and its location in the wall. Niches at chest level are more expensive than those located at the bottom or top of the columbarium.

Advantages of cremation of a human body in comparison with other burial methods

Burying the deceased by burning is easier than carrying out the inhumation procedure. Cremating the body is also more profitable from a financial point of view. After getting acquainted with the intricacies of the burning procedure and how the crematorium works, we can conclude about the advantages of its use:

• to bury an urn with ashes, compared to a coffin, you need a much smaller plot in the cemetery, which costs an order of magnitude less;
• it is possible to bury the remains by burying the capsule in the grave of relatives, without waiting for the end of the sanitary period from the moment of the last burial;
• it is easier to find a place for ashes in a cemetery that is closest and convenient for visits by relatives;
• You can bury a deceased person not immediately after cremation, but after a while, having decided on the method and location of the urn;
• a niche in a columbarium is easier to care for than a grave;
• transporting ashes during reburial is a less labor-intensive process than transporting a coffin with remains.

There are fewer and fewer empty spaces in old cemeteries and new areas for churchyards near cities. Therefore, year after year, an increasing number of relatives of the deceased resort to cremation of the body of the deceased.