Memorial Traditions

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Age Old Tradtions in the Memorial & Cemetery Industy

Death is a difficult, yet universal, part of life, and, over the centuries, a lot of interesting memorial traditions have developed. Here is an overview of some of the more common traditions:

Cremation: For centuries, societies across the globe have practiced cremation in one form or another. But the tradition had changed dramatically over time. Today’s cremations are done behind closed doors in about two hours in large, metal and sterile equipment that is heavily regulated by agencies that oversee industrial products. In years gone by, however, cremations were much more simple and public: after a period of public morning, a body was simply placed atop a pile of wood that was then lit and burned - sometimes for days. Curiously, with the technological advances that have made cremation a much more sterile and less public tradition, more and more religions have begun allowing it. Until relatively recently, for example, cremation was all-but outlawed in the Catholic Church, so there was no need for cremation urns. And the Jewish faith continues to forbid cremation.

The funeral: The typical funeral, as the western world tends to experience it today, is largely the creation of the funeral home industry that became an economic force across the developed world in the last 200 years. Funeral home owners came to realize that knowing how to properly pay respects to a person’s memory shortly after his or death was difficult for most people. The homes, accordingly, developed a mostly formulaic approach to the memorial ceremony and, armed with that popular cookie cutter, went to work building a multi-billion dollar industry; starting with the simplest of all products grave markers. In recent years, consumers have begun rejecting the funeral homes, often expensive, formula for a ceremony and more simple affairs have resulted. Today’s funerals are less often the elaborate, ornate affairs that funeral directors no doubt prefer. Instead they are often very simple ceremonies done with very little fanfare in, occasionally, unique locations. This simplicity is in keeping with traditions that were well in force before the days of funeral homes and funeral directors.

Memorial buildings: Since the days of the Great Pyramids, societies have been constructing large, public buildings to commemorate their dead. The most important change in this tradition over the centuries is that the dead are not generally entombed in today’s memorial buildings. The modern memorial buildings are typically built with a practical purpose in mind (many universities, for example, have "memorial" football stadiums), and the memorial is simply included in the name - and a few statues and plaques scattered across the building grounds. Burial and entombment, meanwhile, most often takes place in cemeteries today. The cemetery is yet another memorial tradition that has had age-old roots.

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