Bizarre Cremation Questions: Answered (2024)

FAQs

What is the surprising truth about cremations? ›

There is a common fear that bodies will be mixed up during cremation and the family will end up with the wrong remains. This is an unfounded fear. It's against the law for crematoriums to cremate more than one body at once. In fact, the cremation chamber is only designed to fit one coffin.

During cremation, the body parts that do burn consist of organs, soft tissue, hair, and skin, while the water in our bodies evaporates. The body parts that do not burn are bone fragments. Teeth usually burn during cremation, but not entirely.

Does the body feel pain during cremation? The body does not feel pain during cremation because the person is no longer alive. When a person dies, their brain stops sending signals to the body. This means that the person cannot feel pain or any other sensation.

A severely burned Indian woman who was thought to be dead reportedly woke up in a hearse moments before she was going to be cremated.

What does the Bible say about cremation? According to most Biblical study websites, there is no explicit scriptural command for or against cremation. There are no passages that forbid cremation, according to most Biblical scholars.

Cremation funerals have the disadvantage of not having a concrete memorial, but you can go back to the spot where you spread the ashes, which may be more meaningful to you than a cemetery. It is much less expensive than burial (depending on your budget).

Is a body drained before cremation? Draining a body of fluids does not happen before cremation. If a body is embalmed before cremation, the bodily fluids are exchanged (drained, and then replaced) with chemicals during the embalming process. These chemicals are also fluid.

Why do you have to wait 3 days to cremate a body? In the United States, the law requires that a body must be held for three days before it can be cremated. This waiting period gives family and friends time to plan a funeral or memorial service.

The only parts of the body that are removed before cremation are artificial ones like a medical device or implant with a battery, silicone, pins, radiation pressurization, pacemakers, and large hip, knee, and shoulder replacements along with any external jewelry.

If a body is burned at a low enough temperature and quickly after death, movements are possible. While the bodies do not sit up, these natural postmortem motions could be interpreted as such by those watching a funeral pyre from a distance.

Why do bodies move during cremation? ›

Because of the cremation chamber's high heat, some bodies go into what's called a pugilistic stance, meaning the elbows, knees, and fists clench from dehydration due to the extreme heat. The pugilistic stance may make the body appear shorter or stiffer, but it will not make the body sit up.

This is called “witness cremation,” and it's a powerful way to say goodbye to your loved one. In a witness cremation, you can hold a small gathering in a private viewing room, and observe your loved one's body being placed in the cremation chamber (also called the “retort”).

Most religions that oppose it are against cremation because they believe that it is against the faith's ideas of salvation. Some more traditional cemeteries may not accept ashes because of these religious beliefs.

What's returned to you is the person's skeleton. Once you burn off all the water, soft tissues, and cremation container/casket, etc., all that's left is bone. The bone is ground up and given to you as “ashes.”

Cremation is the process that converts human remains to ashes and mineral fragments through combustion and oxidation. The furnace used to disintegrate the corpse should reach temperatures up to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. Some of us have metals in our body due to medical procedures we undergo in our lifetime.

Resurrection of the body is central to the beliefs and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Because of this belief, the Church had a ban on cremation for most of its history.