Until 1960, only about one in three people in Britain chose cremation and it was uncommon for anyone to ask to have their ashes scattered. But, says the Cremation Society, there are now more than 420,000 cremations a year, 70% of all deaths.
Most families want to sprinkle the ashes in places meaningful to the deceased. In the 1970s, about 12% of ashes were taken away from the crematorium - now it is nearer two-thirds.
The Mountaineering Council of Scotland and Welsh conservationists have asked relatives to avoid going to mountain tops because the phosphate added to the soil from the cremated bones can overstimulate plant growth. Football clubs, including Manchester United, have stopped the remains of fans being put on their pitches. Manchester City, along with many European clubs, have now built a memorial garden to save their grass.
Sikhs traditionally scatter ashes over running water, but this practice is now becoming common across British society, with Hindus, Christians, atheists and pagans often asking to be sprinkled in rivers, lakes and at sea, says the Cremation Society.
The trend has led to some unlikely alliances. A Leicestershire pleasure boat company has linked up with an Asian funeral service and hires out as many as 12 cruise boats a week at all times of year for Hindu and Sikh families to scatter their loved ones' ashes on the River Soar. "Most people come from Leicester and we go to an Environment Agency-approved stretch of water - the ceremony takes about an hour. We have never had any complaints about pollution," said Frank Reeves, of Barrow Boating.
No comments:
Post a Comment