Year: 2014

Alternative Funerals and Offbeat Send-offs

From the mildly eccentric to the downright peculiar, there are a number of unusual ways some have adopted to say goodbye to loved ones. Nowadays, being buried in a eco-friendly/cardboard coffin is fast becoming a fashionable way to be buried. Not only is cardboard cheaper than wood, but it is also good for the environment.  So good, in fact, that when Green Party member Mike Woodin passed away, he was buried in a cardboard coffin in order to reduce his carbon footprint.  Other notable celebrities associated with this bio-friendly approach include Barbara Cartland and actress Wendy Richard. Writer Hunter S ... Read more

All Saints Day

  Our association with Halloween is one of costumes and ghost stories, sweets and trick or treat. However, the religious roots of this now commercial enterprise can be found as far back as the fourth century church at Antioch, and more recently from Mexican Catholic tradition. Originally, All Saint’s Day was a celebration that took place on the first Sunday after Pentecost to honour martyrs of the Christian faith. The growing influence of the Western church saw All Saints Day moved to May 13th by Pope Boniface IV in the seventh century. By the ninth century the celebrations included all ... Read more

Funeral Rites of the South Pacific

Many of the islands of the Pacific have maintained a strong connection to their cultural religious beliefs, despite the historical influence of many Christian missions. In Papua New Guinea, when a death occurs, a medium is called in to determine the cause or to identify the sorcerer or witch who may have been involved. Rituals are performed to assist in releasing the spirit of the deceased, and spirits are encouraged to stay near the family.  Relatives express their sorrow through wailing, chopping off a finger, pulling out facial hair, shaving their heads or extracting their teeth. Though burial is common ... Read more

Vulgar Parrots and Firing Ashes into Space: Surprising Last Rites

Everyone hopes that their funeral will go to plan, but sometimes that just isn’t the case. Take Andrew Jackson, for instance. The seventh president of the United States, Jackson was known for his cutthroat politics and nasty language. His vulgarity had an impact on his parrot, Poll, who was such a close companion of Jackson’s that he asked the parrot to attend his funeral in 1845. Unfortunately, the parrot swore so much throughout the ceremony that he had to be removed. One mourner, Rev William Norment, said the parrot had been incited by the loud sobs of Jackson’s slaves and ... Read more

The Bizarre and Wonderful: Unusual Caskets

Not many have heard of a cardboard coffin, and still fewer realize that they’re taking the world of the modern funeral – particularly amongst the rich and famous – by storm.  Coronation Street’s Hayley Cropper was laid to rest in a cardboard casket, but it’s hardly just fictional characters that are choosing this eco-friendly (if quickly deteriorating) material for their final resting place. 68-year-old actress Joanna Lumley, for one, wants to be buried in a cardboard coffin just as her parents were. “I love a cardboard coffin. Both Mummy and Daddy went off in cardboard coffins, painted – Daddy’s was ... Read more

A Dignified Tribute to the First Victims of World War I

Britain entered World War I in the summer of 1914, a conflict that would become known as the Great War and one of the deadliest in human history, resulting in over 37 million deaths worldwide before its end in November 1918. Of these deaths, more than 9 million would be British soldiers. At the time, The Undertakers’ Journal told readers that “Britons can do no more than ‘gird up their loins’ for the great cause of justice and freedom”, comparing bravery at home to the courage faced by soldiers on the battlefield. In the same issue, it was noted that ... Read more

‘To Absent Friends’: A new festival offers ways to remember the departed

For the first time, a new Scottish people’s festival will be held this year from the 1st – 7th of November. Called ‘To Absent Friends’, the festival is a time of open-ended celebration and remembrance of departed loved ones through storytelling and ceremony. The founders’ aims are to revive lost traditions of remembrance as well as create new ones by giving the Scottish people a time and place to reminisce, honour, and respect the dead. ‘To Absent Friends’ is a unique festival, however, in that it is not comprised of single events or limited to particular places or times. Rather, ... Read more

Newgrange Tomb

One of the world’s oldest and most beautiful tombs Newgrange is one of the oldest and most beautiful ancient burial sites in the world. Located in what is now Ireland, Newgrange was originally constructed over 5000 years ago (around 3,200 BC) during the Neolithic period, the last part of the Stone Age, making it even more ancient than both Stonehenge and the Gaza Pyramids of Egypt. A large, kidney-shaped mound that covers over an acre of land, Newgrange is believed to have been built by a farming community located in the Boyne Valley in County Meath. Today it has been ... Read more

Funeral Rites From Around the World, Part Two.

The stars have fascinated mankind since the dawn of history, and many of the most ancient funeral rites take the movement of heavenly bodies into account. However it’s only very recently that it’s been possible for a person to find their final resting place among the stars. A company called Elysium Space and Celestis Inc. have begun offering a service where they will blast a “symbolic portion” of your loved ones ashes into space. Back here on Earth, inhabitants of New Orleans often have what is known as a “jazz funeral”, a raucous affair that combines elements of traditional religious ... Read more

Funeral Rites from Around the World, Part One.

According to archaeological evidence, funeral rites were one of the very first elements of human culture to emerge. Funeral rites can be found in every culture, both ancient and contemporary, although of course these rites differ considerably between different parts of the world and distinct spiritual/religious traditions. Sometimes even the funeral choices of people from our own culture can seem unusual. For those with a strong religious faith, a funeral service conducted according to their religious beliefs is an absolute essential, but growing numbers of people in the UK have no religious faith at all. They generally opt for a ... Read more

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