casket

A coffin (in North American English, also known as a casket) is a funerary box used in the display and containment of deceased remains -- either for burial or after cremation.

The word comes ultimately from Greek kophinos, a basket. In English, the word wasn't used in a funeral sense until the 1500s.

Practices

Any box used to bury the dead in is a coffin. Use of the word "casket" in this sense is a North American euphemism, introduced by the undertaker's trade; a "casket" properly so called is in fact a box for jewelry. [1] Some Americans draw a distinction between "coffins" and "caskets"; for these people, a coffin is a tapered hexagonal or octagonal box used for a burial. A rectangular burial box with a split lid used for viewing the deceased is called a "casket" as seen in the picture above.

Receptacles for cremated human ashes (sometimes called cremains) are called urns.

A coffin may be buried in the ground directly, placed in a burial vault or cremated. Some countries practice one form almost exclusively; in others it merely depends on the individual cemetery. The handles and other ornaments (such as doves, stipple crosses, crucifix, masonic symbols etc.) that go on the outside of a coffin are called fittings while organising the inside of the coffin with drapery of some kind is known as "trimming the coffin".

Cultures that practice burial have widely different styles of coffin. In some varieties of orthodox Judaism, the coffin must be plain, made of wood, and contain no metal parts nor adornments. These coffins use wooden pegs instead of nails. In China and Japan, coffins made from the scented, decay-resistant wood of cypress, sugi, thuja and incense-cedar are in high demand. In Africa, elaborate coffins are built in the shapes of various mundane objects, like automobiles or aeroplanes.

Sometimes coffins are constructed to display the dead body as in the case of the glass covered coffin of Haraldskær Woman on display in the Church of Saint Nicolai in Vejle, Denmark.

Today manufacturers offer features that they claim will protect the body. For example, some may offer a protective casket that uses a gasket to seal the casket shut after the coffin is closed for the final time. Many manufacturers offer a warranty on the structural integrity of the coffin. However, no coffin will preserve the body, regardless of whether it is a wooden or metal coffin, a sealed casket, or if the deceased was embalmed beforehand. In some cases, a sealed coffin may actually speed up rather than slow down the process of decomposition. An airtight coffin, for example, fosters decomposition by anaerobic bacteria, which results in a putrefied liquification of the body, and all putrefied tissue remains inside the container, only to be exposed in the event of an exhumation. A container that allows air molecules to pass in and out, such as a simple wooden box, allows for aerobic decomposition that results in much less noxious odor and clean skeletonization.

There is now emerging interest in eco-friendly coffins made of purely natural materials such as bamboo.

Cremation Coffins

With the resurgence of cremation in the Western world, manufacturers have begun providing options for those who choose cremation. For a direct cremation a cardboard box is normally used. Those who wish to have a funeral visitation (sometimes called a viewing) or traditional funeral service will use a coffin of some sort.

Some choose to use a coffin made of wood or other materials like particle board. Others will rent a regular casket for the duration of the services. These caskets have a removable bed and liner which is replaced after each use. There is also a rental casket where there is an outer shell that looks like a traditional coffin. The deceased is placed in a cardboard box that fits inside the shell. At the end of the services the inner box is removed and the deceased is cremated inside this box.

Casket industry

In the United States, a number of companies produce caskets. Some manufactures do not sell directly to the public, and only work with licensed funeral homes. In that case, the funeral home usually sells the casket to a family for a deceased person as part of the funeral services offered, and in that case the price of the casket is included in the total bill for services rendered.

Often funeral homes will have a small showroom to present families with the available caskets that could be used for a deceased family member. In many modern funeral homes the showroom will consist of sample pieces that show the end pieces of each type of coffin that can be used. They also include samples of the lining and other materials. This allows funeral homes to showcase a larger number of coffin styles without the need for a larger showroom. Examples of such showrooms can be seen on the A&E show Family Plots, and the HBO drama Six Feet Under.

Other manufacturers will sell to the general public in addition to the funeral service industry. A number of stores and Internet sites have been set up to sell caskets. Costco recently made news headlines when they announced an intention to offer caskets for sale at their stores. In this case, the manufacturer sells directly to the public, or will sell the casket to the store, which then in turn sells it to their clients.

One notable manufacturer of caskets is the New Melleray Abbey of rural Peosta, Iowa. The monks of this abbey build wooden caskets and urns for their own use, as well as for sale to the general public. The caskets are popularly known as Trappist Caskets. Dubuque, Iowa native and actress Kate Mulgrew has made a number of radio commercials advertisting the caskets. Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles, California is one of the abbey's more famous customers, having purchased a casket for his own eventual use.

Under U.S. Federal law, if a family provides a casket they purchased elsewhere, the establishment is required to accept the casket and use it in the services. If the casket is delivered direct to the funeral home from the manufacturer or store, they are required to accept delivery of the casket. The funeral home may not add any extra charges or fees to the overall bill if a family decides to purchase a casket elsewhere.

It is noteworthy that the choosing of a coffin is often the most difficult part of a funeral arrangement, perhaps as it gives a very immediate reality to the death to see what will be the deceased's final "home".

Unusual Coffins

Custom coffins are occasionally created and some companies also make set ranges with non-traditional designs. These include painting of peaceful tropical scenes, sea-shells, sunsets and cherubs. Some manufacturers have designed them to look like gym carry bags, guitar cases and even yellow dumpster bins. Others coffins are left deliberately blank so that friends and family can inscribe final wishes and thoughts upon it to the deceased. The rock band, KISS has made a coffin called the KISS Kasket for their most diehard fans.

Use by the living

A few eccentric individuals sleep in coffins, usually as an affectation or deliberate taboo-breaking. With the lid closed, the coffin provides thermal insulation and reduces ventilation, thus allowing the air in the coffin to warm up from body heat. This performs the same function that a blanket or duvet does in a conventional bed, but without being in direct contact with the sleeper. Some people find this arrangement more comfortable. The actress Sarah Bernhardt was reputed to sleep in a coffin, and to take her coffin with her when she toured. American psychic Criswell also made a habit of sleeping in a coffin. Some people who believe themselves to be vampires also indulge in such habits.

When a coffin or casket is used to transport a deceased person, it can also be called a pall. (Thus pallbearers).

Manufacturers

• Atlas Casket Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• Aurora Casket Company of Aurora, Indiana.
• Batesville Casket Company of Batesville, Indiana.
• York Casket Company of York, Pennsylvania.
• New Melleray Abbey in rural Dubuque County, Iowa near Peosta. The monks of the abbey produce caskets for their own use and for sale to the public.
• bamboocoffins.co.uk of Sittingbourne, Kent UK
• Green Endings (coffins made from natural materials) of London, UK

See also

• Burial
• Cenotaph
• Ossuary
• Sarcophagus
• Tomb
• Hanging coffins
• Museum of Funeral Customs
• Coffin plate
• Bier

External links

• Batesville Caskets
• Trappist Caskets-Caskets made by the monks of New Melleray Abbey, Peosta, Iowa.
• Remeire Coffins of Ardee, Ireland
• Museum of Funeral Customs
• BBC Business News 2001-12-28: Bamboo Coffins "Coffin-maker resurrects tradition"