We all know that one day death will eventually come knocking on our door and after that will be our burial. Not long ago, people didn’t have options of how they wanted to go. Today, there are a lot of options which can either please you or make you overwhelmed.

First is the traditional ground burial, which is the most common method of being buried. Here the dead bodies are put in a coffin and buried 6ft under in a cemetery or other designated locations. Most of the time headstones are placed above the ground over the location of the corpse whose name, date of birth and death is inscribed on them.

Another is cremation which involves the exposure of the body to excessive heat causing it to burn and then ashes are left behind. After cremation, the ashes are given to the family who may decide to spread them out in a special place or place them near especially in an urn. Mummification which is mostly practiced in Egypt, might send chills down your spine. It is fascinating to know that this type of burial has been modernized and is still in use today although it is not common.

Mummified bodies undergo a process of being submerged in a container (tank) of liquid for its preservation. The tree burial might sound funny to you because it is rarely heard of, but it is common in the Philippines to protect the bodies from wild beasts. It involves putting the bodies in a tree or tree trunk after hiding them in a casket or blanket that are tied into the branches of the tree.

Research is still being made on cryonics, this type of burial is used for people who are brain dead. The body is frozen and there is belief that the person could be revived one day with the aid of advanced technology.

Tree planting is also one of the burials where the corpses ashes are placed into the soil with a seed to plant a tree. Mind you this does not affect the DNA of the tree or alter the growth in any way.

The space burial is done by launching ashes or the full remains of the deceased into space using a rocket. This kind of burial is one of the most interesting and it is really cool although it is expensive.

Then we have plastination where all liquids from the body are removed and sucked dry, but the main tissues are allowed to remain. Plastination is done to prevent the body from decaying. The body turns into a plastic and is made to look like a mannequin – for reference source on the mannequin check out the corpse bride, La pascualita. This can further be used for educational purposes.

The sea burial which is based on cultural, recourse and religion reasons involves bodies wrapped into a blanket and thrown into the sea on a tiny rowing boat made of wood. It is also the disposal of remains of the deceased in the ocean from a ship or boat.

Burial At Sea and Why it is Becoming Popular? 

Apart from these kinds of burial, there are lots more. But you should know that burial at sea is becoming more and more common. It is practiced mostly among sailors and even shown in the movies! The burial at sea cannot just be carried out anyhow, there are regulations guiding it. One of such is the U.S. federal regulations for burial or scattering at sea found IN the CFR title 40, 229.1 in the section from the code of federal regulations. It states that a normal and accepted method for water burial should be used and not a weird one. The water depth must be 600ft except in areas near Florida and Mississippi river delta where water depth must be 1800ft. The body should be made to sink to the bottom of the sea quickly and permanently. The burial should be reported to the local EPA within 30 days. 

Burial at sea is gaining popularity based on the fact that it is much less expensive which helps the family to fulfill the wishes of their dead loved ones (for most people prefer being buried at sea) and to remain financially responsible. It is also a means of honoring the dead as found among the navy and also by private citizens in most countries. Burial at sea is very important in places like the Philippines where land is scarce and so this form of burial can also be used for economical purposes.

A lot of people have chosen to be buried at sea before they die mostly the sailors and people in the navy but it is not compulsory for you to have a connection with maritime life in order to be buried at sea.