Man is mortal - this is an obvious truth for all but the greatest optimists who want to live forever. People have developed many funeral rituals, created a whole infrastructure responsible for the last journey of a person. And fire plays an important role in this matter.
From the point of view of environmental friendliness, ethics and just personal preference, cremation is the best way to dispose of the mortal remains of a person. When the body is already dead, it can be buried underground, but the sacred, purifying effect that helps the soul find its refuge in the abode of eternal sorrow is allotted to the fire.
Cremation from antiquity to the present day
Cremation comes from the Latin cremare - "to burn" or "to burn". In ancient times, it was common even among primitive societies. According to one theory, this gave protection in the afterlife, and according to another, fire was a sacred phenomenon.
European cremation traditions were used in ancient Greece. In those days, it was believed that burning helps the departed in the other world. After that, the Romans adopted this tradition. And the ashes left after the ceremony were stored in special places - columbariums.
In Russia in Christian times, cremation was not too encouraged, since it belonged to pagan traditions. The classical method was used more - burial in the ground. In Western Europe, cremation was banned at one time. It was imposed by Charlemagne in 785. The veto lasted for about a thousand years. And only in the eighteenth century, the tradition was revived, since the cemeteries could not cope with those who wanted to commit burial on them. The proximity of burials to residential buildings caused epidemics and other troubles.
In 1869, a resolution was officially signed at an international medical conference calling for widespread cremation. Cremation today is a whole industry when there are not enough cemeteries and land is not enough. In addition, it is hygienic, does not require a lot of expenses and is generally very efficient.
Cremation now
Today, from a religious point of view, cremation is widely used among Hindus. There is a whole city of Varanasi, where it is customary to burn the dead at the stake. There is not always enough firewood for this, so you can often see a picture of unburned corpses floating along the Ganges.
From a practical point of view, this is a justified procedure in all developed countries of the world. For example, natural gas is used for cremation ovens. On rare occasions, electricity. Interestingly, coal and coke were used until the middle of the twentieth century.
It will take about an hour and a half for the body to burn completely. At the same time, the teeth do not burn out, like various titanium prostheses, inserts and other surgical implants.
