A Comprehensive Guide to Cremation and Inurnment

Often due to religious, personal or financial reasons, people decide to have a cremation for a deceased loved one instead of a traditional burial. With the recent popularization of green funerals, this option has become increasingly common.

What is Cremation

Cremation is the process of reducing human remains into small pieces of bone or “ashes” using heat. It takes place in a cremation oven or container inside a crematorium. The process takes about two to three hours after which the ashes are placed in a plastic urn.

What You Have to Consider

As a general rule, here’s a list of things you need to keep in mind:

The Crematorium

The family or loved ones will have to select a crematorium where the body will be cremated.

The Funeral Service

The family may opt for a funeral service before the cremation takes place. Loved ones will gather at a chapel for a viewing, prayers and eulogies. Sometimes people choose to forgo a traditional service and have a direct cremation.

Documents Required

The funeral service providers will only move forward with the cremation once they’ve gathered the necessary documents. These include:

1. The Death Certificate
This is signed and provided by a doctor or coroner.

2. Family Authorization
The next-of-kin has to authorize cremation services via signature.

3. Cremation Permit
It’s the job of the cremation service providers to complete this formality. They will require a signed copy of the death certificate to obtain the cremation permit from government officials.

What to Do with the Cremated Remains

Once you have been provided with the remains in a sealed plastic urn, you can decide what you wish to do with them further. This is known as inurnment.Most people prefer to transfer the ashes to a permanent urn to either bury or scatter.
Some may also choose to keep them at home on a shelf or mantelpiece.

Burying

The urn might be buried in a:

• Cemetery: a burial vault or grave liner will be used to safeguard the urn.

• Columbarium: a wall niche that holds funeral urns, flowers and other items in memoriam.

Scattering

Alternatively, if the deceased had a special request for where they’d like their ashes to be scattered, the family may choose to do that. Some common options are a favorite garden spot, the ocean or a canyon.

Other Options

A few unorthodox options include turning the ashes into diamonds or tattoo ink.

Green Cremation

This is a type of environmentally-friendly cremation process. There is no embalming involved, so the body releases fewer toxic substances during cremation.Selecting a biodegradable urn for burial further ensures that once it’s buried, it decomposes safely.

At National Funeral Homes, we understand that a professional and considerate approach is important during this difficult time. We will assist you in every step after you decide to cremate a loved one.

Visit us now for cremation services in Miami.