From the very moment of death, all sorts of thoughts, worries, and tasks begin to race through the minds of the bereaved. The chaos is caused by a lack of focus and emotional impact. The family of “Haron,” which provides funeral services, knows exactly this and offers these funeral services to make your journey less wandering.
The variety of funeral services is extensive and manages to cover every type of need, making it as easy as possible to organize the departure of the deceased from this world.
We accept the possibility that until a death occurs in your circle, you may not have encountered anything directly related to funeral services. For this very reason, it is important first to explain exactly what cremation means, what the difference is between cremation and burial, and then to clarify when and what you need to choose – cremation or burial.
Funeral
As you already know, burial is the process in which the mortal remains of the deceased are laid underground. This is the most widespread way of saying goodbye according to the Orthodox Christian religion. Most often, the burial is performed in a grave, representing a hole in the ground measuring 2 m by 1 m and 1.5 m deep. The deceased is placed in a casket, with which they are lowered into the grave and then covered with soil. After a year has passed, tradition dictates that a tombstone be placed, on which the names of the deceased are inscribed and often a photograph is added. It is common practice to plant favorite flowers and other plants directly on the grave.
We cannot fail to acknowledge the fact that when choosing a burial, the bereaved retain an opportunity to visit the graves and, in a way, be closer to their loved ones. These visits remind the living of the transience and uncertainty of their own lives and our inevitable direction for leaving this world. Studies show that relatives of the deceased who are cremated express less grief and weeping during the funeral and rarely visit the place where their relatives and loved ones are kept, especially those whose ashes have been scattered.
The most important thing in a funeral is that it be done with dignity. For this purpose, a procession and the carrying of the casket can be performed, which testifies to your love and respect for the loved one. Last but not least, we place the smaller details such as purchasing a cross, wreaths, flowers, and the like. You will find more information about the necessary items at the funeral agency.
Cremation
Everyone knows what a burial entails, as well as the basic steps for its organization. When, however, cremation is required and what cremation actually is, you are about to find out.
Cremation is a completely different way of bidding farewell to the deceased. In Bulgaria, cremation is still an unpopular practice. The cremation process involves the burning of the mortal remains of the deceased until they are turned into ash. The procedure is performed in a crematorium, for which purpose the body is placed in a specialized chamber. After cremation, an average of about 5 kg of ash remains from the deceased, which fits into an urn. According to the rules, the urn is placed in an urn niche or laid in a grave, but there are many other customs around the world from which we can easily borrow – the ashes are scattered over a certain territory or kept in a residential home.
Due to the existence of only one single crematorium in Bulgaria, located in Sofia, cremation is extremely unpopular in other regions of Bulgaria besides the capital. Recently, a practice has been observed where a deceased person from another settlement is cremated by first performing a religious or civil ritual there, after which a funeral agency transports the body to the crematorium in Sofia, and after being cremated, the urn with the ashes of the deceased is handed over to the relatives.
The steps we take in organizing a cremation are entirely in accordance with the rules for performing this activity, namely:
- Transportation of the deceased from the location of death to our cold storage chamber;
- Transportation of the deceased from the cold storage chamber to the cemetery park;
- Storage in a cold storage chamber – 24 hours.
- Organization of the necessary documentation related to the cremation;
- Provision of everything necessary: casket/urn, shroud, grave marker;
- Transportation to the crematorium /the only one in Bulgaria/;
- Provision of obituaries, mourning ribbons;
- Delivery of everything necessary to the specific location /cemetery park or other/;
- Additional consultation.
The organization of sending the deceased to other worlds is an emotional process, saturated with a series of tasks. We will take care of everything related to the cremation.
Every religion interprets cremation differently and has different views on it. If you are still hesitating about what is more appropriate to be done with the body of the deceased, you can also seek answers in the respective temples. In Bulgaria, cremation is not preferred at all, precisely due to religious considerations.
Cremation or burial
Often people do not distinguish between burial and cremation. And when the difficult moment comes to say goodbye to a loved one, there is not always someone to help. Now that you are familiar with the specifics of each of the two funeral services, you can decide in which of the two ways you wish to send off your loved one. Whatever you choose, it is important to keep in mind that we will respect your decision and take full responsibility for its implementation.
There are many who prefer cremation over burial, and we, as their loved ones, are obliged to satisfy this wish of theirs. Every funeral agency practices cremation, so you will have no problem with its realization.
You are the ones who decide whether the cremation will be accompanied by a ritual or not. If you insist on a ceremony, the service will be more expensive, but on the other hand, you will make the right decision. It is desirable to bid farewell to the deceased as is fitting and to show your attachment to them once again.
You can find out how much cremation costs and what the price difference is compared to organizing a burial here.
