The word “urn” generally brings to mind a gray metal or iron container. However, cremation urns have taken on different designs and meanings throughout history.
Scientists have documented that the oldest known human creation took place over 20,000 years ago in Australia. Cremation processes -and the subsequent handling of cremated ashes- have occurred in various ways throughout history, depending on the time, country, culture, personal and political beliefs or religious practices.
Some cultures hold an open-air cremation for the deceased, after which the ashes are scattered at a sacred site, in a river, or in the ocean. Mass cremation has served in times of war, national disaster, or widespread disease, in which case families do not receive the ashes of their loved ones. Some cultures cremate and then bury the remains.
Cremation is often a lower cost alternative to burial. And cremated remains take up much less space than burial plots, which is why cremation is considered more environmentally friendly.
Modern cremation is the process of placing a deceased person in an industrial oven at very high temperatures for several hours; after most of the body has evaporated into gases, the remaining bone fragments are ground into an ash-like powder. These cremation remains, or “cremains” as they are often called, are placed in a sealed container, or urn, and given to the family or next of kin.
Urns often reflect the individuality or preferences of the deceased and are a way for the living to remember their loved one. Archaeological excavations have revealed ancient funerary urns made of ceramics and decorated with illustrations.
Today, cremation urns are available as generic or customized depending on the wishes of a family or individual. They can be made of wood, metal, ceramic, clay, bronze, marble, glass or biodegradable. There is also urn jewelry for those who wish to keep a small portion of the ashes in a piece of jewelry. These various types of modern urns often serve a variety of purposes.
Cremation remains may be kept in an urn at home, scattered in a place of significance, or interred in a burial urn in a cemetery or in a special memorial building called a columbarium. In all of these cases, the urn plays an important role in celebrating and commemorating the life of a loved one.