After death, according to different customs, there are many ways of funeral, such as burial, cremation, sky burial, water burial, etc.
Among these common forms of funeral, burial is the most used. But with the development of society, people gradually realized the impact of burial on the environment, so cremation gradually replaced burial.
However, in recent years, a new form of funeral is gradually gaining popularity and attention. And this new form of funeral is tree burial.
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Novel forms of funeral
Tree burial is a funeral method in which the ashes or remains of the deceased are placed under trees, which emphasizes the harmonious coexistence of man and nature, and embodies respect for life and reverence for nature.
The history of tree burial can be traced back to ancient civilizations, when people began to bury the dead under trees to pray for the rest of the soul of the deceased and to provide shelter for the deceased.
In fact, tree burials have been popular for a long time in many parts of the world. In some parts of India, especially in the northern states of Punjab and Haryana, tree burial is a traditional form of funeral.
Tree burials here are often associated with Sikh beliefs, which are considered sacred by Sikhs to provide shelter to the deceased.
The tree burial culture in Japan has its roots in the ancient custom of "bone picking", which involves collecting the ashes of the deceased and placing them in a specific place.
Over time, the custom evolved into tree burials, where ashes were scattered in specific memorial forests.
Similarly, in some European countries, such as Sweden and Germany, tree burial is becoming popular as an eco-friendly form of burial.
Residents of these countries are increasingly conscious of environmental protection, opting for tree burials as a way to reduce their environmental impact.
Some of Australia's Aboriginal cultures also have a tradition of blending the dead with nature, which echoes the idea of tree burial.
In modern times, some parts of Australia have also started to promote tree burial as an eco-friendly burial method.
It is worth noting that with globalization and increasing environmental awareness, tree burial as a form of ecological burial is being accepted and practiced in more and more cultures.
Tree burial forms and rituals may vary from region to region, but they all embody respect for life and reverence for nature.
In recent years, some emerging ecological burial methods, such as tree burial, have become more and more popular in the mainland, and the concept of "returning life to nature" has been recognized by more and more people.
How tree burials are implemented
Tree burial does not mean that the deceased will be buried under a tree at random, in fact, there are several ways to carry out tree burial.
Columbarium burial, as the name suggests, is a funeral ritual in which the deceased's ashes are cremated first, and then the ashes of the deceased are scattered under the tree or buried near the roots, so that they can "become one" with the tree.
For example, after Lin Huiyin and Liang Sicheng's youngest son Liang Congjie died in 2010, his family complied with his last wishes, cremated him, and scattered his ashes to the Changping Ming Tombs International Friendship Forest.
Ecological coffin burial is a tree burial method that uses biodegradable ecological coffins to bury the body under a tree.
The reason why the biodegradable ecological coffin is chosen is because over time, the coffin will naturally decompose and integrate with the soil, so as to achieve the role of environmental protection.
Joint tree burial, judging from the name, I believe you should guess, this is a form similar to collective burial. The ashes or remains of multiple deceased people are placed together under the same tree to form a memorial forest or ecological cemetery.
Features and advantages of tree burial
Compared with other forms of funeral, tree burial has many advantages, which can be divided into the following points:
Environmental protection and sustainability In the past, the pursuit of entering the earth was safe, so the deceased would find a feng shui treasure for burial, don't look at a small cemetery, plus a tombstone, at least 40 to 60 square meters.
One person needs such a large area, let alone hundreds of millions of people in the whole country! Even if it is a cremation, the cemetery needs several square meters.
In contrast to these, tree burial avoids the excessive consumption of land resources by traditional funerals, reduces the pollution of tombstones and cemeteries to the environment, and helps to maintain the ecological balance.
Space Saving It is not difficult to find that in recent years, for the development of the city, developers have built high-rise buildings on a large scale, although there are more and more places for the living to live, but there are fewer and fewer places for the dead to live.
Especially in some big cities, cemetery resources are very tight. As a vertical burial method, tree burial can effectively alleviate this problem.
Passing on memories and promoting eco-tourism By setting up a commemorative plaque next to the tree or planting representative plants, the memory and life of the deceased can be continued in another way, and at the same time, the harmonious coexistence of man and nature can be realized.
In addition, the tree burial area can also be used as an ecological park or memorial forest to attract tourists to visit and remember, and can also promote the development of local tourism to a certain extent.
What tree burial means
With the increasing environmental awareness, people are beginning to re-examine the impact of traditional funeral rites on the environment.
As an eco-friendly form of funeral, tree burial not only conforms to modern people's pursuit of environmental protection, but also can effectively alleviate the pressure of traditional funeral methods on land resources. In modern society, the significance of tree burial is mainly reflected in the following aspects:
Advocate the concept of green burial
The promotion of tree burial will help to change the traditional concept of funeral and guide people to establish a green and environmentally friendly funeral awareness.
Through tree burial, people can have a deeper understanding of the close connection between life and nature, so as to cherish and protect the natural environment more.
Promote the construction of ecological civilization
As an eco-friendly burial method, tree burial helps to promote the construction of ecological civilization.
By reducing the occupation of land resources and the pollution of the environment, tree burial helps to realize the harmonious coexistence of man and nature and promotes the development of ecological civilization.
Inherit and promote culture
Tree burials incorporate a variety of cultural elements and also help to pass on and promote human culture.
In the process of tree burial, people can express their remembrance and respect for the deceased through various ceremonies and activities, and at the same time inherit and promote the excellent cultural traditions of mankind.
Promote the development of tourism
The tree burial area can be turned into an ecological park or memorial forest, attracting tourists to visit and remember, and promoting the development of local tourism.
This can not only bring certain economic benefits to the local economy, but also improve people's awareness and attention to ecological environmental protection.
Promote social harmony
Tree burials emphasize respect for life and nature, which helps to cultivate people's moral character and sense of social responsibility.
By participating in tree burial activities, people can gain a deeper understanding of the meaning and value of life, and thus cherish and respect the lives of others more. This helps to promote social harmony and progress.
But on the mainland, tree burial is a relatively new and less common concept, especially in a culture where traditional ideas are more deeply rooted.
Most Chinese funerals still follow the traditional burial or cremation method.
However, with the improvement of environmental awareness and the popularization of the concept of ecological funeral, more people may choose tree burial as a funeral method that respects nature and saves resources in the future.
Will tree burial replace other burial methods?
Although tree burial has many advantages and significance, there are still some challenges in the actual promotion process.
For example, some people do not have enough awareness of tree burial and find it difficult to accept the placement of the ashes or remains of their loved ones under trees, and the laws, regulations and policy support for tree burial need to be improved.
In response to these challenges, we need to strengthen publicity and education to improve people's awareness and acceptance of tree burials, and at the same time, the government and all sectors of society should also increase support for tree burials and promote their standardization and development.
Looking ahead, with the popularization of environmental awareness and the advancement of technology, tree burial is expected to become a more common funeral method.
By continuously improving and perfecting tree burial technology and management models, we can achieve a harmonious coexistence between man and nature and contribute to the sustainable development of the earth.
At the same time, we should also actively explore and innovate more forms of ecological funerals to meet the needs and aesthetic concepts of different groups of people.
As an eco-friendly form of funeral, tree burial has many advantages such as environmental protection, conservation, and memory inheritance.
Moreover, according to some folk surveys, many young people are still interested in the novel form of funeral of tree burial.
It is believed that in the near future, tree burial will become a more common and popular funeral method, injecting new vitality into the progress and development of human civilization.
Resources
1. Compost burial, fireworks burial, coral reef burial...... These new types of ecological burials are gradually becoming a trend - Southern Metropolis Daily, released on April 4, 2023
2. Tree burial, flower burial...... The posthumous "return to nature" is gradually accepted by the public-Guangming.com, released on April 4, 2024
3. Don't erect a monument, don't burn paper!Luoyang's 16 deceased people are collectively buried in trees, and ecological burials are being accepted by more people——Dahe Daily Luoyang News, released on March 27, 2021