Green burials

A friend and Green Christian member recently helped to organise a green burial for a good friend of hers. What was said was so beautiful I thought it worth linking to our website for others to read and use.

Here are some words from the burial:

“We are here to participate in the mystery of death and to share the sorrow that accompanies the disappearance of a loved one.

It is right to grieve. Grief and Love are sisters. There is no love that does not contain loss,  because all will pass, and no loss that does not remind us of the love we carry for what we once had.”

See the whole service here.

Learning from other traditions

Rosemary, a Green Christian member who lives in Uganda, explains about her country’s burial tradition:

“When the Baganda people who live in the Buganda Kingdom in Southern Uganda lose someone, the body of the deceased is not kept for long (except when the family members ask for it). The body is kept for one day and buried on the second day (that is the Christian way but Muslims bury the body that same day except if the person dies in the evening, then the body is kept through the night but buried the following evening). 

“After the deceased’s body has been cleaned, it is traditionally wrapped/clothed in barkcloth (called Olubugo or Embugo in the local language Luganda) by elders or designated family members.

“The barkcloth is a product of the Mutuba Tree (Ficus Natalensis or fig tree). This is produced by harvesting the inner bark during the wet season and then, in a long strenuous process, beaten with different types of wooden mallets to give a soft and fine texture and even terracotta colour.  After harvest, the bark regenerates making it an eco-friendly and sustainable material. The craftsmen work in an open shed to protect the bark from drying out too quickly. Barkcloth making is an ancient craft of the Baganda people. 

“Before the introduction of cotton cloths by the Arab Caravan traders in the nineteenth century, barkcloth was the main clothing for the people in the area and was also used as bedding, curtains and mosquito screens.

“The barkcloth is a pure, natural and biodegradable material that can preserve the human body for a long time – aligning with the sustainable ecological practices and respect for nature. Therefore wrapping the body in barkcloth can signify high respect and honour for nature and the deceased. I would like to recommend it to Green Christian members who are considering a green burial.”

Other places to go

The Green Burial Council – The place to learn more about green burial and how to find certified cemetery stewards, funeral professionals, and funerary product sellers who share the commitment to create more sustainable after-death options for you, your community, and the planet.

British wool shrouds

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Date: 17 August, 2024 | Category: Liturgies Opinions | Comments: 0

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