In Russia, the dead are often buried in the ground, rather than cremated. Why? To answer this question, you should plunge into the depths of history.
A pagan ritual?
In the East, the custom of cremation has existed for a long time. So, Buddhists believe that burning helps the soul to cleanse itself of past karma. It is interesting that in Russian folk tales villains (for example, Nightingale the Robber or Koshchei the Immortal) were not only burned, but also scattered the ashes in the wind. Witches were usually burned at the stake, as they believed that the flame cleanses their souls from sins. In Europe, the custom of burning the dead was introduced by the Etruscans, from whom it, in turn, was adopted by the Greeks and Romans. Subsequently, with the spread of Christianity, cremation was banned. But in medieval cemeteries there was not enough space, sometimes the dead had to be buried in common graves, and they were covered with earth only when the grave was filled … Such burials turned into a source of spread of various infections. In the 16th century, Europeans began to burn their dead at funeral pyres. Few people probably know that in pre-Christian times, cremation was a traditional method of burial among the Western and Eastern Slavs. It seemed to our distant ancestors not only more hygienic, but also, according to beliefs, helped the soul of the deceased to go to heaven as soon as possible. Sometimes the bodies were burned in a boat, which was then sent down the river. With the baptism of Russia, the cremation ritual gradually began to go out of use as pagan. The fact is that this method of burial is at odds with the Christian canon, according to which a person leaves the earth and must return to the earth. If you artificially interfere in this process, then it will be difficult for such a person to resurrect after the Last Judgment.that in pre-Christian times, cremation was the traditional method of burial among the Western and Eastern Slavs. It seemed to our distant ancestors not only more hygienic, but also, according to beliefs, helped the soul of the deceased to go to heaven as soon as possible. Sometimes the bodies were burned in a boat, which was then sent down the river. With the baptism of Russia, the cremation ritual gradually began to go out of use as pagan. The fact is that this method of burial is at odds with the Christian canon, according to which a person leaves the earth and must return to the earth. If you artificially interfere in this process, then it will be difficult for such a person to resurrect after the Last Judgment.that in pre-Christian times, cremation was the traditional method of burial among the Western and Eastern Slavs. It seemed to our distant ancestors not only more hygienic, but also, according to beliefs, helped the soul of the deceased to go to heaven as soon as possible. Sometimes the bodies were burned in a boat, which was then sent down the river. With the baptism of Russia, the cremation ritual gradually began to go out of use as pagan. The fact is that this method of burial is at odds with the Christian canon, according to which a person leaves the earth and must return to the earth. If you artificially interfere in this process, then it will be difficult for such a person to resurrect after the Last Judgment. Sometimes the bodies were burned in a boat, which was then sent down the river. With the baptism of Russia, the cremation ritual gradually began to go out of use as pagan. The fact is that this method of burial is at odds with the Christian canon, according to which a person leaves the earth and must return to the earth. If you artificially interfere in this process, then it will be difficult for such a person to resurrect after the Last Judgment. Sometimes the bodies were burned in a boat, which was then sent down the river. With the baptism of Russia, the cremation ritual gradually began to go out of use as pagan. The fact is that this method of burial is at odds with the Christian canon, according to which a person leaves the earth and must return to the earth. If you artificially interfere in this process, then it will be difficult for such a person to resurrect after the Last Judgment.
Chairs of atheism
In 1874, the German engineer Siemens invented a regenerative furnace, where the remains were burned in a stream of hot air. Two years later, the world's first crematorium appeared in Milan. Until 1917, cremation rituals were practically not carried out in Russia. But with the coming to power of the Bolsheviks, everything changed. Religion was declared "opium for the people", which means that all sorts of practices previously prohibited by church canons began to be welcomed. In 1920, a competition was announced for the project of the first crematorium in Petrograd, held under the slogan: "Crematorium - the chair of atheism." The crematorium was opened in the building of the baths on Vasilievsky Island. True, a little over a year later it was closed "for lack of firewood." During this short period, 379 dead bodies were burnt in the furnace of the crematorium. In 1927, a crematorium was opened in Moscow, in the Church of Seraphim of Sarov at the Donskoy Monastery. Stoves for him were supplied by the same Siemens company, which, incidentally, later became the main supplier of stoves for the crematoria of Auschwitz and other Nazi death camps. Later, crematoria began to appear throughout the country, and the procedure for cremating the dead became quite common. Today, the Orthodox Church does not categorically prohibit cremation, but does not approve of it either. In any case, if a person bequeathed himself to cremating himself, then it is not recommended to have a funeral service. For this reason, believers rarely decide to cremate. Today, the Orthodox Church does not categorically prohibit cremation, but does not approve of it either. In any case, if a person bequeathed himself to cremating himself, then it is not recommended to have a funeral service. For this reason, believers rarely decide to cremate. Today, the Orthodox Church does not categorically prohibit cremation, but does not approve of it either. In any case, if a person bequeathed himself to cremating himself, then it is not recommended to have a funeral service. For this reason, believers rarely decide to cremate.
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What if they're still alive?
But there are other reasons why our compatriots are afraid of cremation. Many people believe that a person may still be alive or feel something when his body is burned. The crematorium workers, who looked out the window of the furnace during the burning process, said that there are dead people “who are lying down,” and there are “those who are jumping up.” 4 Against the background of these terrible tales, the procedure of traditional burial in a grave looks “sparing”. In 1996, St. Petersburg television showed a program about an experiment conducted by scientists from one of the St. Petersburg research institutes in a crematorium. Before being sent to the oven, sensors were attached to the head of the dead man lying in the coffin, which study the bioelectrical activity of the brain. It should be added that the person died 4 days before. And now, as the coffin approached along the escalator tape to the opening of the furnace, the device began to draw curves that indicated thatthat some processes are taking place in the brain of the deceased. The deciphering of the signals showed that they correspond to the emotion of fear. The dead man was afraid of cremation! Today, there are many reasons for and against cremation. There are people who want to be cremated so as not to rot for a long time in the grave, not to be eaten by worms … But who knows what actually happens after death to our soul and what method of burial is more suitable for it?what actually happens after death to our soul and what method of burial is more suitable for it?what actually happens after death to our soul and what method of burial is more suitable for it?