Forms of final disposition: Burial

Things you should know before you go:

Forms of Final Disposition: Burial Part 1
By Andrew Hodges
April 2007

I will focus the next few articles on the two methods of final disposition of a body -- burial and cremation. I hope to explain the reasons in favour of each method, followed by an explanation of cost and what is involved. This first article will deal with thoughts on the burial of a casket. 

The burial of the dead is a long tradition, dating back to Neanderthal times when, historians believe, the dead were buried in order to protect the living from what caused the death  usually thought to be an evil spirit.

In Canada, there are two options for burial of a casket: burial and above ground entombment. Entombment takes place in a mausoleum, a building at a cemetery with individual crypts for a casket to be placed in and sealed off. Some cemeteries have small mausoleums that contain a family of five, for example, while other cemeteries have large mausoleums with multiple floors and contain numerous individual crypts. But in the interest of keeping this article relevant to those in St. Marys, burial is the most common form of casket burial.

Reasons for choosing burial may be due to religious beliefs or family tradition. Some people choose burial so that the funeral ritual can be completed on the same day (unless the funeral is during the winter, as smaller country cemeteries in our area do not bury during the winter months). By having the funeral and processing to the cemetery with a loved one's body to be physically placed at the grave site, some feel that there is a sense of completion. The grave site then becomes a place where family and friends can visit.

Very few casket graves are dug by hand any more. A backhoe is used to dig to a sufficient depth -- the usual six feet to be below the frost line. Some cemeteries with have the earth piled beside the grave and covered with outdoor carpet, usually green to blend in, while other cemeteries will move the earth away from the site and later return it when the time comes to fill in the grave. The grave opening is set up with a either a lowering device for the casket to be placed on, or the casket vault set up above ground for the casket to be placed into. Wood boards are placed around the grave and covered by outdoor carpet so that the pall bearers can safely place the casket in position.

The lowering of the casket is usually done after the committal service is completed and everyone leaves. Some funeral directors will, if the casket is set up on the lowering device, flip the switch to lower the casket with family and friends present. Personally, I do not because my fear is that the casket might catch on a tree root and tip, which can, for lack of better words, ruin a solemn moment. So I leave that to the cemetery staff members. Families can stay at the cemetery to witness the grave being filled in, but since heavy machinery is used, they will have to stand back at a safe distance.

A bit of trivia regarding burials: a cemetery is a separate area of land that is designated solely for burials, whereas a graveyard is part of a church's property intended for burial of its faithful.

Next month's article will look at how to go about purchasing a casket burial plot and the cost involved.