When you’re discussing funeral arrangements for yourself or a beloved family member, you need to decide between cremation or burial. By weighing religious, economic, and environmental factors, you can make informed end-of-life choices. Here’s what you should know.

What Do I Need to Know About Cremation & Burial?

Cremation

Although cremation dates back thousands of years, it wasn’t an acceptable funerary practice for Catholics until the 1960s. Hinduism also allows cremation, but the adherents of Judaism, Islam, Baha'i, and Zoroastrianism do not.

Cremations occur at a crematory, where the body of the deceased is placed in a chamber and burned. The resulting ashes are housed in an urn or similar vessel. Urns may be kept in the home of a family member or laid to rest in a cemetery or vault. Some prefer to have their ashes spread at a particular location or at sea. Others may want their ashes buried or memorialized as jewelry.

Cremation may cost less if it doesn’t involve a cemetery. Because it doesn’t require embalming chemicals, cremation is also considered environmentally friendly. 

Burial

Traditional burial services start with embalming the body, which involves removing all fluids to keep it intact. Some people may opt for immediate burial rather than staging a funeral or memorial service.

A funeral service typically includes a viewing of the deceased in a casket before laying the body to rest in a cemetery plot, family vault, or mausoleum. If you bury a loved one, you can visit their gravesite, leaving flowers and remembrances each time.

In a green burial, the body doesn’t undergo embalming. Shrouds or wooden coffins are used in place of caskets. As the body decomposes, it nurtures the soil.

Burial expenses include costs for embalming, caskets, cemetery plots, and headstones. A responsible funeral home will help your itemize these financial decisions and plan accordingly.

Discuss cremation and burial options with the compassionate team at Middendorf Funeral Home. This family-owned funeral home has served Northern Kentucky residents since the late 1800s, providing a range of choices to help families say goodbye to their loved ones in respectful, heartfelt ways. Call (859) 341-7800 today to start the planning process, or learn more about funeral services by visiting them online.