Cremation question: Is it proper for someone to bury ashes ?

Question

I thought they had to be kept or let go in the wind.

Answer 1

When my father died, his ashes were buried at the cemetary, and he has a gravestone marker that tells his name, birth date and date of death. When my brother died, he had Down's Syndrome. Ordinarily, he would have had his own grave, but because my father was buried in a military cemetery, only veterans and their spouses can be buried there. The children can be buried there as well if they are minor children or were adult children who were incapable of taking care of themselves, such as my brother was. My brother's ashes were placed upon my father's ashes 2 months after my father died. Six months later, when my mother died, her ashes were placed on top of my brother's ashes. The ground was covered over, the grave marker replaced, and now the marker has the names of all three of them.

Ashes can be scattered or buried. Either way, it has to be done legally. You can't just bury them in your backyard, nor can you just scatter them anywhere. It's important to find out the laws before scattering or burying ashes without the assistance of a mortuary or burial service.

Answer 2

Religion does have some bearing on the treatment of the ashes of the deceased, but I have never heard of a religion that allows cremation but not the burial of the ashes. The Catholic Church allows cremation in most places, assuming it is not to make a "statement" and the local custom is not against it. However, the ashes must be treated with the same respect you would the deceased's body and therefore scattering the ashes or keeping them in a relative's home are considered highly inappropriate.

Placement within a memorial wall at a cemetary or similar place, burial in a plot, and even burial at sea are all appropriate in the Catholic faith, but the ashes of the departed are kept in a dignified urn and consigned while in that urn (which substitutes for a coffin). After all, you wouldn't dump Grandma's body into the streets, letting her blow in the wind is regarded in the same way (as an example).

Answer 3

Anything is proper when you're honoring a last request.
If they wanted the ashes buried, do so. Nothing wrong with that. Some want to be cremated and then buried with a previously deceased loved one; wife, husband, parents, etc.
In the movies they're always let go in the ocean, sea or on the desert somewhere. Unless you've cremated someone you really don't realize how much ashes there are...they'd "dump" moreso than "blow in the wind".
Anyway, yes it's proper and ok to bury them.
Most cities require a permit to do so though.

Answer 4

Yes; however, if a person's ashes are buried at a cemetery (in-ground burial), most cemeteries require that the ashes be placed in an urn and the urn be placed in an urn vault before being put in a grave. Otherwise, they will have to be placed in a columbarium niche. My request, however, is that my ashes be scattered over the Pacific Ocean, though no one in my family, nor anyone else that I know has ever been made aware of this. I made the decision to be cremated shortly after I turned 16, and I made the decision to have my ashes scattered immediately afterwards within the last 18 months.

Answer 5

I have been taught that the dead should be respected, and that means even if the body is cremated you should respect that person. Burying the ashes or placing in a vault at a cemetery is perfectly fine.

Answer 6

It depends upon what the deceased or the family wants. my grandfather was cremated and the ashes were divided... part were spread in a stream were he used to live and part of them were buried at my grandmothers grave. Again, it is up to the family or the person as to what to do with them.

Answer 7

You can do whatever you want with cremains. Some people like to spread them, some keep them in a container on top of their mantle. But, there are some cemeteries that are all cremains now. There are many options after cremation.

Answer 8

You are supposed to do with the ashes what ever the deceased has requested. If they want the ashes buried - bury them!

Answer 9

it is all up to the family. When my fiance's brother passed away last summer we had him cremated and put into an urn and he is staying with his mom until this july when we are going to bury him with his grand parents. (weird,but a long long story to tell) anways it is all up to family and every family is different.

Answer 10

You can bury them, either in a cemetery in the urn, or in another place in a biodegradable container.