Home funerals were common until the start of the 20th century. Now they are making a comeback, fueled by environmental concerns (no embalming), the faltering economy (families can save thousands of dollars compared to a traditional funeral) and surging interest in holistic practices and home hospice care.More at the link.
State law was changed last year to ease the process. Hospitals will accommodate organ donors by picking up the body, harvesting organs and then returning the deceased home. And even though the initial reaction among funeral homes was to see the movement as competition, a growing number are reaching out to participants after discovering that there's still a need for many of their services (the burial, for instance)...
The bodies don't rot or stink; they're packed in dry ice or chemical cold packs. There's little danger of disease; you're at a greater risk of catching something from the person sitting next to you at work than from a dead body. And there are no religious prohibitions against them...
There are steps in preparing the body that some people might find off-putting. Cotton is stuffed in the orifices to keep liquids from escaping. And the eyes and jaw must be shut before rigor mortis sets in; the most common way is to put small weights on the eyelids and to tie a scarf under the chin.
The main step is a ritualistic washing done with warm water to which natural oils have been added. The private areas are done first and then covered. After that, members of the family and close friends often are invited to participate as a final way of bonding...
02 December 2011
The resurrection of in-home funerals
From a story in the StarTribune:
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Thanks for this post, it is very moving. My grandmother from Little Falls told me stories of this from her youth. When family members passed, the laying-out was at home, and they would "rest" for some days at home, being placed in front of the living room bay window before burial.
ReplyDeleteThis makes perfect sense to me. My Mother was in the funeral trade most of her life (as an office worker) and knew first-hand what a money game funerals are. I am sure there are many reputable funeral directors, but many just determine the amount of insurance a client has to spend and design a funeral to pretty much use that amount. By anecdotal example, a dear friend of mine recently lost a daughter to suicide. The family was so distraught and guilt ridden that they spent in excess of $20,000 on her funeral.
ReplyDeleteBy contrast, when my Mom died and soon after my Dad, their prior arrangement for cremation and a family burial ( which amounted to using a shovel to dig a hole in the family cemetery plot) resulted in a cost of a little under $1000. The minimalist headstone was another few hundred.
I fully agree, David. When my father died, we skipped the funeral, had a simple cremation, and just sprinkled his ashes in his favorite woods.
ReplyDeleteI recommend 'Departures'(Okuribito) if you haven't seen it yet. You'll laugh and cry, sometimes simultaneously.
ReplyDeleteDoes this mean we might some day go back to calling "living rooms" parlours ..? (Assuming architects and real estate agents decide against calling them "death rooms")
ReplyDeleteI'm 55, and in my youth I for some reason thought it strange for Money being spent to haul around a body to different places when they died.
ReplyDeleteThe realization coming when my friend Angelo's grandfather passed.
We were 9 or 10 years old at the time. And since then I have made sure that I will never be buried and a very simple and fast layout and viewing will be the only celabretion when those who matter realize I am no longer among the living.
I wonder if I can be set up in my recliner with a beer in my hand watching a RAVENS game is a possible arrangement?
Michael, you should hope that the Ravens will be playing the Vikings; then you can be sure of seeing one final victory...
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