Year: 2015

Japanese Funeral Practices

Japan has a cremation rate of over 99%, the highest of any country in world. Some local governments even ban traditional burials. This was not always the case – before World War II, cremation was only practised by the very rich, but after the positives of cremation, including its efficiency and cleanliness, became recognised, cremation rates rose across the country. While many may think that cremation limits one’s options for a funeral service, Japan has taken the opportunity to create lavish and memorable services, so that Japan also has one of the highest average funeral costs in the world. A ... Read more

Unusual Funeral Services Create a Personalised Send off

For many mourners, long gone are the days of sombre dress and tear-filled handkerchiefs. Today many of the last requests of the dearly departed are becoming increasingly unusual as the traditional funeral rites are beginning to be seen as stuffy and not in line with how the deceased wishes to be remembered. In many cases, even the mourners themselves are getting dressed up – and not in formal attire, either. At one funeral, the deceased requested that all mourners dress as the Tracy family, characters from the old hit TV show Thunderbirds. Often the mourners don’t participate directly, but are ... Read more

Professional Mourners Around the World

The term might not make sense to a lot of people, but mourning is in fact a profession that has existed in many cultures for centuries. There are references to professional mourning in the bible, in classic literature, and even in today’s world where many services have started that will provide professional mourners for a modern funeral. Two of the most notable and well-known cultures that have traditionally used the services of professional mourners are Italy and China, by taking a look at this interesting perspective on funeral services; you might have your beliefs about grief changed. Professional Mourners in ... Read more

China’s Profound Culture of Death

Ancient Chinese traditions that have existed since 1,556 B.C. inform a cultural thinking that the souls of the dead exist in another world, but that they can visit the Earth by resting in their graves. In a sense, a grave becomes a home away from their new home. This basic line of thinking has led the Chinese to develop a system of attitudes and customs towards burial and funerals that is both fascinating and has left a huge impression on their current culture. The Chinese Funeral Although economic conditions in China throughout the years have significantly changed their style of ... Read more

Greener Approaches to Burial Increase in Popularity

Like many things in our rapidly changing and increasingly denser world, traditional burial methods have become a problem for many countries and especially for environmental advocates. A lack of adequate space, fears of toxic chemicals potentially polluting the ground, and extreme numbers of materials used to produce coffins have left a lot of people searching for cheaper, more sustainable ways to honour their passed loved ones. Green Cemeteries “Green” cemeteries have caught on in popularity in recent years, with more than 40 having sprung up in the United States (where somewhere close to one million tons of steel is used ... Read more

Unusual Korean Cremation Alternative Makes Ashes Beautiful

There are many ways to honour a passed loved one after the process of cremation. Some find immense comfort scattering ashes in a person’s favourite spot, or perhaps more commonly, by selecting a beautiful urn designed and decorated to honor the deceased. In South Korea however, a fascinating technique is transforming the remains themselves into a beautiful, decorative object rather than scattering the ashes in a final location. Ashes to Beads Specifically, the process uses a high amount of heat and pressure to melt ashes down into gem-like beads that are usually blue-green, pink, purple, or black in colour. One ... Read more

How meditation affects the cells of breast cancer survivors

I have written about the benefits of meditation on several occasions, from how it slows ageing, can make us happier, helps us develop and maintain and calm state, and even how it impacts our genes. So I just couldn’t wait to tell you about an amazing new study that can give hope to people who have or have had breast cancer. Scientists at the University of Calgary, led by Dr Linda E. Carlson, clinical psychologist and professor of psychosocial oncology, measured telomeres (I’ll tell you a bit more about them in a mo) in breast cancer survivors who did a ... Read more

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