I've wondered about this for ages, but the Pope's funeral made me think of it again, is it just us British or a Protestant thing not to have open caskets? I know the Americans are very keen on them, they seem to get a bit freaked out by cremations too.
It's curious what goes through the mind isn't it? I spend a lot of time imagining what my funeral will be like, weird really as I won't ever know, unless I suddenly pop out of my body as an awesome 21st century ghost - 22nd century if I live long enough, unlikely, but I'm not ruling that possibility out!!
I would like an open casket, so my family can have a final image of me, something to remember me with. I like this idea, so long as I didn't get mauled by a bloodthirsty squirrel on my way home with the groceries... If you look facially presentable I think it would be nice to have that last look. When I attended my grans funeral, and my sisters, they both had closed caskets and that made me sad and frustrated that I didn't get the last look/image of them.
Instead there were framed pictures of them stood on top their coffins.
I would also like to be buried rather than cremated. I like the idea of everyone stood around my grave and the whole "earth to earth," performance you see on tv, assuming this happens in real life.
Mortuary and funeral practices intrigue me, both modern and historical and especially pre-historical.
I agree that we are very strange about death and bodies, particularly in Britain, we want them tidied away so as we don't have think about mortality, especially our own.
I don't really want to be remembered, I'm quite happy to disapear into the other world and have nobody remember me, I certainly don't want a load of weeping and wailing, if anyone did remember me then I'd hope it was fondly and not with anger or hatred, but then I'd be way beyond any of that.
I'd quite like a green burial, my body in a shroud and left to lie curled up in a sleeping postition in my earth bed, but if not then a simple cremation and my ashes scattered at the local neolithic burial mound. I think it would be good if we could have newly build mounds with niches for individuals or families and their pets, ashes, somewhere a comunity could come together and celebrate the dead as well as more personal memories.
Your thoughts of having your ashes scattered at a neolithic site is appealing. I too don’t want any sort of funeral or fuss.
I would like to have an eco friendly burial in a bag that would decompose easily, and perhaps have a tree planted beside me. I don’t particularly want to be lying in an undertakers before a funeral but I don’t expect anyone would be able or willing to deal with my body any other way. Also N. Ireland hasn’t progressed to allowing dedicated sites for eco burials. I will probably end up cremated.
Your thoughts of having your ashes scattered at a neolithic site is appealing. I too don’t want any sort of funeral or fuss.
I would like to have an eco friendly burial in a bag that would decompose easily, and perhaps have a tree planted beside me. I don’t particularly want to be lying in an undertakers before a funeral but I don’t expect anyone would be able or willing to deal with my body any other way. Also N. Ireland hasn’t progressed to allowing dedicated sites for eco burials. I will probably end up cremated.
I’ll have a look at that, thanks.
Check out Simple Cremations, but don't give them any contact details or they'll hassle you to death, but I think thats basically what happens, they parcel you up and take you to the crem. I think the only time you wouldn't be able to have that straight away is if you have to have an autopy, people think you have to have died violently to have an autopsy, but if you die unexpectedly or haven't seen a doctor within the last couple of weeks, then they tend to do one. Most are now non-invasive and done as a CT scan, they only do an invasive one if they can't find what you died of. I've watched a series called Cause of Death on Channel 5 thats all about how coroners and their courts work, it's fascinating and comforting and the staff are so kind and caring to both the deceased and those left behind.
I was wondering if it would be possible to get picked up in a hired van from home and taken straight to the burial site or crematorium, with no processing from an undertaker. Surely there would be fees only for the grave or cremation, though I expect there are rules that you must be in a box.
I think its the same here, you certainly have to have permission to be buried anywhere thats not a dedicated grave site. One fo the things that really bugs me is how expensive the whole business is, I think eco burials are more expensive that "normal" ones. I'll probably go or one of those simple cremation things where you just get picked up, taken to the crematorium, burnt and you ashes either disposed of or given to a nominated person.
