Death is a hard topic for anyone to handle, and it becomes even harder when coping with the death of a loved one. It is a sad and unavoidable occurrence in our lives, and funeral preparations are frequently and unfortunately made even harder by the myths and rumors surrounding it.
Cremation in particular has been the subject of controversy and misunderstanding as far back as its inception. The modern cremation that we’re familiar with was originally introduced to European populations in the year 1874 and was proposed as an alternative, and more sanitary method, of dealing with dead bodies.
The movement did not pick up much traction, however: A man by the name of William Price was among the first to voluntarily practice cremation for his infant son, recently deceased from natural causes. Price was consequently charged with the illegal disposal of a body, despite cremation not being illegal at that time. It would take until 1885 for the British government and the general populace to start viewing cremations in a more favorable manner.
Despite the shift in attitude, many of the myths surrounding the cremation process are still around today or have given way to new myths.
1. The Ashes You Receive After Cremating a Loved One May Not Belong to Them
This myth is blatantly false. It is illegal for crematoriums to burn multiple bodies at the same time and to allow remains to become mixed together. No reputable crematorium would ever risk allowing remains to co-mingle in such a way.
Even accidentally, it is unlikely that you would receive the remains of another deceased. Crematoriums have procedures and enforce multiple checks through every stage of the cremation process to ensure bodies are always identified correctly and handled respectfully.
2. Ashes Don’t Decompose
Whether or not ashes will decompose depends on how they are kept. Urns are sealed to safeguard ashes from oxygen and elements. This drastically slows down the rate of decomposition, although decomposition cannot be completely prevented.
There’s actually some truth to this myth, however – cremation ashes will eventually decompose, just not in our lifetime. According to science, it would take around one million years for an urn filled with ashes to completely decompose, since they are sealed tight and composed solely of inorganic material.
3. You Have to Take the Ashes Home
If you don’t want a jar of ashes sitting on your shelf, reminding you of the loss of your loved one, nobody will blame you. There is nothing wrong with planning ahead – what will happen to the urn after you pass? What if the urn is accidentally knocked over? – or wanting to store the ashes elsewhere.
There are no rules that you have to take an urn home with you, and manyfuneral services offer alternatives in the form of scattering gardens, mausoleums, and cremation burial gardens. Such services also provide you with a memorial landmark that you can revisit to pay your respects to the dead, the same as any burial site would.
