Dewsbury, Uk (PressExposure) November 23, 2010 -- For as far back as we can remember, and in all cultures and civilisations, funeral services have had an important role in the ritual of death. But over time the UK has seen many changes in the way that funerals are held, especially in the last century.
The Move Towards Cemeteries
In the UK, churches were once the normal location for funeral services . Cemetery burials became more common in the 18th century when church graveyards were becoming over full. These really began to take off after the 1930s, and cemeteries are now the most common places for burials to take place.
The Rise of the Cremation
Cremation was perhaps the greatest change that funeral services have seen until this point in history. It was as recently as the last part of the 19th century that the first cremations began to take place, which gave rise to a trend that grew in size over the years.
Even at the beginning of the 20th century, cremations were still quite uncommon. As cremations have grown in popularity as a part of funeral services, though, a change has also been made towards less formal funeral services since ashes can now be left at a place that was special to the deceased.
From Sadness to Celebration
One of the major changes in funeral services has been the shift in focus from one of sadness to one of celebration. Instead of focusing the funeral proceedings on the sadness of losing the person in death, modern ceremonies celebrate the high points of the deceased person's life and all the good they were able to accomplish.
Modern funerals include prepared speeches, memories, and even some humorous statements in honour of the person's life from friends and family members of the deceased; most people continue to wear dark clothing to funerals. Pop songs have even taken the place of classic hymns.
Rather than gravestones , many people now choose memorial trees or benches for people to remember them by. In an effort to take the stress and anxiety away from their family members, a good number of people make all the plans for the funerals well in advance of their death.
An Important Custom
In spite of the fact that funeral proceedings are not exactly what they were a century ago, that does not mean that gathering to remember the deceased person's life is any less important. The majority of people in the UK feel that it is important to have an event to keep the person's memory alive.