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Cremations
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Sorry to be morbid, but I'm interested to know about cremations... does it happen right after the curtains close? Does the coffin get burned too? Are they done 1 at a time? How are the ashes collected?
Thanks x
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It takes a surprisingly long time to cremate a body, so they normally disapear tactfully behind the curtain, then are actually cremated at a later stage, perhaps that night. I hadnt heard about them being done more than one at a time, but it is true to say that the ashes are largely just the coffin, and not much of the relative.
Procedures vary from one cematorium to another. When the curtains are closed (or when the coffin is lowered - in some crematoriums the coffin has a drape over it and is lowered) the crematorium staff then remove the coffin (either manually or automatically - sometimes on a hydraulic lift) to another room where the cremation takes place. The cremation either takes place directly after the funeral service or after a few services.
In my experience in Scotland there wasn't so much chance of mixing up bodies/coffins as each cremation took place individually. There is generally only enough room in one furnace for one coffin, though there's often more than one furnace (perhaps 2 or 3). The remaining ashes (often rather coarse) are then finely ground in a special machine and the ashes go through a nozzle into a bag or urn/container labelled with the name of the deceased. I have been present for a few cremations after the funeral service as the families wanted to be certain that the ashes they got were the ones of their loved one. I was very impressed by the professionalism and efficiency of the staff.
I didn't want to be too graphic, hopalong. After a cremation there is a mixture of ash and bits of charred bones. I have never been aware of the whole skeleton remaining intact. The remaining parts of bone look a bit like wood or coal after a fire - they crumble to the touch but are still bulkier than ash - hence the need for the machine that I mentioned to grind them down further.
As far as I am aware the coffin is always burned too, and that is certainly the procedure in Scotland - and that is what I have witnessed. It may, however, vary from country to country.
Funeral directors and ministers and others who conduct funeral services in crematoriums/crematoria are used to questions like these and often have a handout to give to people. Your question is a normal one and a very human one, fairy!
When I said individually, sarah 123, I meant that there may be a few coffins at the same time - but each one is in a separate furnace so there is never more than one body in the same furnace unless in extreme circumstances when a parent and child has died together and the family request it for their own reasons, but this is extremely rare.
It's not morbid, it's interesting. My own curiosity took me to a crematorium a few years ago (arranged via a local funeral director). On the basis of what I saw I would say the following web site gives an accurate representation of the process. What I think people will find reassuring is that an identity card is with the coffin and cremated remains at every stage and this procedure is strictly adhered to.
