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Types of Burials

Published: April 17, 2023
by Weeks' Funeral Homes

Funeral homes in Buckley, WA

Human remains are disposed of by burying them in the ground, burying them in a grave or a tomb, dumping them in water, or exposing them to the elements or carrion-eating animals. Funeral homes in Buckley, WA offer the standard burial options. Geography, religion, and the social system all impact burial customs. Herein are some types of burials.

Burying in a Cave

Caves, which serve as a natural haven for humans, have also been used to bury the dead. The ancient Hebrews buried their dead in natural single-chamber caverns lengthwise into the walls, which encouraged the development of mausoleums. They were once considered sacred but are now regarded as impure. Caves and earthen tombs encouraged other burial customs, such as coffins, lavish grave clothes, and burial gifts.

Inhumation

Since the Middle Paleolithic Period, humans have been burying their deceased under the surface of the ground by digging a grave or by covering the body with rocks and dirt. This practice dates back to the beginning of human history. Inhumation, also known as grave burial, can be simple or complex. If stones are not available, some Eskimo people cover the body with a pile of rocks or a small ice igloo.

Graves can range from simple shallow pits to sophisticated, artistically crafted subterranean palaces buried deep underground and large enough to hold large groups of people. On the other hand, individual graves are usually planned ahead of time.

Water Burial

Many stories from ancient civilizations depict the relationship between water and immortality. These mythologies frequently revolve around a god-hero who dies and sails away from his people, promising to return. As a result, chief's and heroes' bodies have often been sunk in death ships on rivers and oceans.

Other societies have practiced water burials. In the Pacific Islands, it was customary to place the deceased in a canoe and launch it into the water. Not all sea burials, however, take place on a ship or raft. It is well known that sharks will consume remains abandoned on a reef; nevertheless, in other parts of the world, bodies have been sunk to the bottom of the ocean using stones.

Exposure

Many societies believe that burying the body where it can be eaten by scavenging birds and animals or weathered to its essential elements is the best disposal method for spiritual and material reasons. The Zoroastrians are the most well-known practitioners of this burial style, which arose from the belief that burying or cremating the body would contaminate the "pure elements" of earth, fire, and water.

Many people who expose the dead use trees and platforms (tree burial).

The Second Burial

Funeral homes in Buckley, WA

Many cultures have a waiting period between the first and second burials, which frequently corresponds to the time it takes for the body to decompose. These people's different concepts of death are the source of this behavior. In many civilizations, death is an inevitable transition from the living to the dead. Whichever option you choose, funeral homes in Buckley, WA will gladly assist you with the process.

 
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