Funeral shroud

Something other than a box

More and more people want to organize a funeral differently than with a closed solid coffin. The stateliness of such a coffin can feel distant. We also often hear that people find it a horrible idea to be placed in a coffin after their death. Fortunately, since 1998 it has been possible to use an alternative: the burial shroud. This is a large cloth that can be wrapped around a deceased person, as in the image below of our Nature set :

Why a funeral shroud?

The beauty of a shroud is that the deceased is a little closer during the farewell than if they were lying in a coffin. The soft fabric of the shroud also invites you to touch the body one last time. Of course, this is not necessary for everyone; some people find it strange to be aware of the body of the deceased during a farewell. The nice thing about a shroud is that it does cover the entire body and neatly hides the shapes. In this way, the shroud offers a perfect middle ground between distance and proximity.

How is a burial shroud folded?

If you wish, you can fold a shroud yourself. This is an intimate act that many people experience as valuable. There are two ways in which the shroud can be folded, namely for a closed or an open wake. In an open wake, the shroud is left open at the head and draped in folds. In a closed wake, the head is also covered by the shroud. In the image below you can see how a funeral shroud can be folded.

The Green Funeral

The shroud fits very nicely with a green funeral or a farewell at a natural burial ground. The undyed fabrics that we use are naturally biodegradable and biologically or sustainably produced. In order to use a shroud at a farewell or funeral, a bier is also required. This is a portable bier on which the deceased is laid in the shroud. Our bier boards are also sustainable and naturally biodegradable.