What is cremation?

Cremation is best defined as the process of reducing a body to bone fragments through the application of intense heat. This technique involves the use of a cremation chamber where the body is subjected to high temperatures, which causes the organic materials to vaporize, leaving behind only skeletal remains. The remaining bone fragments are then processed into finer particles, often referred to as ash, which can be kept in an urn or scattered according to the wishes of the deceased or their family.

This definition distinguishes cremation from other methods of body disposition. While burial refers to placing the body in the ground, embalming is a preservation method that involves the treatment of the body with chemicals to delay decomposition. Similarly, placing a body in a crypt is a form of entombment, not cremation. Therefore, the choice accurately captures the essence of what cremation entails in terms of body disposition.