It is emotionally and mentally draining when a family member passes away, especially when the funeral is not pre-planned. You will then have to decide from choosing traditional burial or cremation service, the number of days for the public viewing, memorial service, cemetery, and many more.
While you might prefer cremation, other things need to be considered, such as religion/beliefs, cost, a tradition, among other things.
In the Philippines, the traditional funeral is the most popular choice. It is because of several reasons: first, the people are used to it; second, they have structured practices based on their religion or belief; third, it allows the family to have a wake or public viewing so the relatives and friends of the deceased can pay their last respect. When holding the wake, the family can choose to have it in the memorial chapel, ‘sitio’ or ‘barangay’ religious chapel, or at the family’s home for a few days.
While cremation is still something new to most people, especially those in the provinces, it may not be allowed in some religions. Although some families would still hold public viewing before the cremation, others prefer to have a direct cremation and plan for memorial service later.
In some religions, the dead must be buried within 24 hours. Other cultural and religious traditions have practices that are strictly followed and may allow holding a wake/public viewing. During this time, the family has time to grieve and do some final planning/preparation. The family members and relatives would have a little time to travel to say their last goodbye to the deceased.
On the other hand, the deceased’s family can decide to have the cremation now and will hold a memorial service later so everyone can attend to pay their last respect. The family members who live far away will still have time to prepare for their trip back home.
Aside from the funeral service, the family needs to prepare the final resting place of the deceased. The cemetery expenses might incur additional financial burdens, especially when the funeral is not pre-planned. In comparison, cremation allows the family to have several options of disposition. They could scatter the cremation (cremated remains), keep the urn in a cemetery, columbarium, or hold the deceased’s remains indefinitely while deciding the final resting place.
Whether public or private, cemeteries have their own rules and regulations to be followed, including the gravestones (upright headstones, flat grave markers, grave ledgers), colour, size, materials, etc.
There are also some rules in cemeteries for cremation; however, the family has more options for memorialising the deceased loved one. There are urns in all shapes, sizes, and designs. In addition, some people wish to plant a tree to commemorate or commission a piece of jewelry that contains the cremains of the late loved one.
Visiting the grave of the deceased loved one at the cemetery helps ease the pain of losing someone. It is comforting and supports the recovery process knowing your loved one is finally at peace and resting eternally.
You can still grieve and remember the deceased even when they are cremated. You can visit the place where their cremains was scattered or where the urn was placed.
When someone dies in the family, there are a lot of things to consider. It is recommended to pre-plan a funeral to lessen the burden on your family while you are still healthy and able. It will help your family focus more on grieving and moving forward because you have already arranged everything for them.
To know more about how to pre-plan a funeral in the Philippines, please visit here.
To avail yourself of pre-need life insurance, please visit here.
Learn how to book a funeral service in the Philippines online here.
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